A Poison Tree
by Snowberryxoxo
Summary: Sequel to My Deranged Savior: Let's aim for the stars tonight; let's howl at the moon and run as fast as we can - be free and live the life we always wanted. Be more than what we're destined to be. [OC/Clary/OC] AH/Rated M for lime scenes
1. The Alpha

**A/N: Helloo, here is the long anticipated sequel of My Deranged Savior! **

**I'd like to thank you all for reviewing the last chap of MDS and for letting me know what you wanted. **

**It was clear that the majority of you wanted Clary to be involved in a love triangle, so that's what you'll get, but it's going to have some unusual twists... -laughs all villain-like-**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or The Originals - all fictional characters that do not include those two fandoms are of my possession.**

**~~ Enjoy!**

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**A Poison Tree**

Chapter 1:

Knocking on the front door of my uncle's home, I awaited on the doorstep with a beautifully wrapped up gift and ornate card attached to its ribbons.

The summer heat made my t-shirt cling to my body, but I enjoyed the beginning of my summer break and being able to spend some time with my family in Mystic Falls.

I always visited my uncles every summer and while Aiden hated leaving the city to live in a small town like Mystic Falls, I absolutely enjoyed the serenity.

No one knew me in Mystic Falls and I didn't have to worry about vampires, werewolves and whatnot else.

A minute or two passed after I knocked on the door, so I raised my hand to knock on the door again, but someone beat me to it and opened the door.

"Happy birthday!" I exclaimed upon seeing Uncle Damon. "Jeez, you look like shit."

He grimaced and rubbed his face that showed clear evidence of him being hungover from a long night of drinking.

Since he and Elena broke up, he hadn't quite been the same.

"Shut up, kiddo," Damon said, pulling me close to him to ruffle my hair. "Where's that spoiled brother of yours?"

"Hitting on girls at the Grill," I replied, rolling my eyes. "He hasn't changed one bit. Still the same arrogant, manipulative and spoiled brat. At least, he listens to me…"

Damon snatched the gift from my hands and pulled me inside, reading the card with a smirk on his lips before unwrapping the gift.

"I don't understand why you buy me and Stefan presents every year. We're vampires."

"So? You just get to have infinite birthdays. Also, I'm sure you'll like this one."

Opening the heavy box, his eyes grew wide at the sight of an old bottle of bourbon with his favorite brand and year.

"Wait a minute… you're 17. How did you get this?" he asked suspiciously.

"I… uh… borrowed it from Kol's collection," I replied awkwardly. "Mom wouldn't let me compel my way to get one."

Damon burst out laughing and hugged me tightly, thanking me for the bourbon without scolding me for how I got it or the fact that I got him alcohol.

I shrugged and followed him into the living room, fixing my long, honey brown hair that had grown nearly the same shade of my father's hair over the years.

I looked like him more and more and despite us having our occasional fights over typical teenage things, then I loved him unconditionally like any daughter would.

Aiden was still the favorite son and outshone me in nearly everything much to my frustrations, but I sensed that Aiden felt like our mom favored me over him sometimes.

She was able to see him as a son rather than the 'heir' and would ground him if she caught him doing something bad.

"How's your mom doing?" Damon asked as he poured himself a glass of his usual bourbon.

"She's… well, she's her usual self. I think she and Dad want more kids sometimes," I replied, remembering overhearing some of their discussions. "Maybe Aiden and I grew up too fast."

"You both have. I mean it feels like not so long ago, your mom told me she was pregnant with you. She's the most unselfish and loving mother I have ever met."

I smiled as he reminded me of the stories my mother told me last year.

As promised, she told me about how countless of vampires had tried killing her and me when she carried me.

She'd fought so bravely to protect me and Aiden, and lost her life in the process, but even in her ghostly form, she refused to leave us behind.

Hearing these incredible and sometimes sad stories made me love and admire her even more.

"What was she like as a human? Before she became a vampire for the first time?" I asked curiously, slumping down on his couch.

"You don't want to hear about that…" he said, grimacing. "If your mom hasn't told you, then there's a reason why."

"But… I don't like being kept in the dark. You know that. I know she lost her mother when she was young and that her father – your father – abandoned her."

Damon groaned so I used my puppy eyes to persuade him. "Okay! Jeez, stop being cute as a button!"

I smirked proudly and tried pouring a bit of bourbon into a glass, but Damon snatched it from me and drank the contents of the glass.

"Right, when your mother grew old enough, she started working as a maid for us, but on one condition. She couldn't tell me or Stefan that she was our sister. Back then, it was shameful to be caught having an affair with someone poorer than yourself."

"Urgh, my grandfather sounds like a douche. No offence."

Damon laughed softly. "Oh, he was a douche bag. Anyway, I didn't know your mom was my sister and was a bit of a snobbish dick towards her. One day, she lost her temper and poured tea all over me in front of Dad's guests. He wasn't happy about that."

I couldn't resist the urge to giggle at the thought of my mother standing up to herself in front of so many wealthy people.

Before Damon could continue the story, Aiden suddenly stepped inside with a beautiful girl, who appeared to be a few years older than he was.

He was attempting to impress her by claiming that the house was his and sweet-talking her into having sex with him.

I grimaced instantly even though I knew he'd become a bit of a manwhore since he hit puberty.

Mom wasn't overly fond of it while Dad sometimes found it amusing and simply dismissed it as Aiden being a normal teenager.

Ironically, he wouldn't allow me to go on dates with guys he hadn't approved first.

"Wait, who are these people?" the young girl asked, glancing at us. "I thought you lived alone."

"Well, I… do in a way. That's my sister and uncle. They visit me sometimes," Aiden lied casually.

Damon burst out laughing and rolled his eyes. "Look, girly. He's only 15 and this isn't his house," he said. "It's mine. You should go."

Clearly offended by Aiden's lies, she slapped him hard across his face and stormed out of the house, throwing swearwords at him on her way out.

"What the hell! Why would you ruin that for me? Did you see her?" Aiden exclaimed, pointing in her direction.

"Yes, she was way too good for you, nephew. Haven't you slept with enough girls for someone who's barely 16?"

Aiden shrugged and ran his fingers through his messy light brown hair, showing no hint of guilt or remorse for his actions.

Figures…

"You were telling me about Mom's previous life…" I continued, drawing the attention away from my brother. "What happened when she got fired?"

"He sent her away to a friend of his, whom he didn't know was a vampire. That's where she first met your father. Your dad saved her life and brought her with him. It wasn't until much later that I discovered she'd become a vampire – which was Kol's doing."

Kol had revealed that to me once and shared the story of how he pushed her off the roof of their home, because he didn't trust werewolves.

I also knew that my Dad ended my grandmother's life and compelled my mother to forget about it.

At first, I'd been furious at him and found it despicable, but then I remembered that that was what vampires often did.

And that my father probably had killed more than one woman in his lifetime.

It was saddening knowing how messed up my family was, but I might as well accept it now rather than denying it forever.

"I don't understand why you're so caught up in their past, Clary," Aiden said, sounding bored. "It's the past. Enjoy the present!"

"Well, excuse me for being a sucker for romance. Aren't you interested in knowing how our parents fell in love? They've experienced way more than we have combined," I retorted.

"Not really, no. I don't want to live up to their expectations or compare myself to them. Why should I? As for romance… then I'm pretty sure it doesn't exist anymore."

"Don't be so sure about that, kiddo," Damon commented, throwing a pillow at him. "You are right though. Neither one of you should try comparing yourselves to your parents. Live the life you want."

"Wise words from a man, who's drinking bourbon before noon…" I said teasingly.

Aiden laughed and finally showed the side of him I knew best – the young teenage boy, who despite acting like a spoiled brat and womanizer, was a loyal and caring brother.

I thought it was time for us enjoy this early noon together, so I forced Aiden with me into town and searched for a nice place for us to eat at.

We rarely spend time together doing normal things, so I never passed on an opportunity to do normal sibling stuff with him.

Finding a diner near town square, we settled with the breakfast menu and ordered our mutual favorite – waffles.

The diner was nearly vacant except for a few elder costumers and small family of three, so it was pretty quiet and calm.

"I don't understand why you always follow our parents' rules. I know you hate them," Aiden said.

"I do, but you saw what not following the rules did. Hell, you were the one who wanted me to follow them, remember?" I replied, stealing a bit of his waffle.

"Not like that. I just implied that you should lay low and not get caught doing what you truly want to do. There's a difference."

He eyed one of the young waitresses up and down and blatantly flirted with her, so I kicked his shins under the table.

"Jeez, are you incapable of thinking with your brain?"

"Of course not. I'm just admiring my choices. Nothing wrong with that." He winked and grinned, making me roll my eyes.

My brother in a nutshell!

I often wondered if he'd borrowed his traits from Kol, because he certainly admired him and his way of living.

Leaning back in my seat, I chewed on my own waffle as I glanced around and noticed a newcomer I hadn't even heard entering the diner.

Strange.

I fixated my gaze on the tall, dark stranger and could tell on the spot that he was a vampire, because his heartbeat sounded nothing like a human's.

He ordered a cup of black coffee and breakfast meal, but he seemed more interested in the news than anything else.

Following the direction of his gaze, I listened in on the current news about the disappearance of a couple people, who lived in the neighboring town.

One of the bodies was found in Mystic Falls, completely mauled and dismembered, as if a pack of wolves had attacked the person.

But there weren't any wolves in Mystic Falls… not any normal ones, at least.

Perhaps werewolves had returned to the town and were causing problems purposely for some personal gain.

But what would werewolves gain from killing innocent humans?

Unless, they weren't humans at all or innocent…

"I know that look," Aiden said, staring at me. "You're going to do something reckless, aren't you? Can I come?"

I grimaced instantly and shook my head. "No. And I'm not about to do anything. I'm just… curious about what's going on, that's all."

"Pssht! You can't resist checking out anything that makes you curious. We both know that."

"Fine! I might go check out the woods and see what's up. You should stay here, though. Go flirt with girls on your own age or something."

I pulled out a few bills from my pocket and placed them on the table before leaving, passing the unknown newcomer on the way.

I sensed his eyes following me and impulsively glanced over my shoulder to find our eyes meeting temporarily.

Finally, getting a better look at his handsomely scruffy face, I felt my cheeks turn crimson and nearly ended up storming out of the diner.

God damn it, I hoped he didn't think I was some weirdo.

Arriving near the woods, I ventured through it in my wolf form to draw less attention and attempted catching the scent of other wolves – both normal and supernatural ones.

One particular scent hung in the air near the location of the mauled body and it smelled strangely familiar to me.

I followed the scent and tracked any unusual prints in the ground, using everything my father had taught Aiden and I on our hunting trips.

The deeper into the woods I went, the stronger the scent became and I suddenly found the rest of the animals becoming unnaturally silent.

Someone was here besides me…

The sound of a twig snapping somewhere behind me sounded, so I swiftly turned and noticed a wolf watching me in the far distant.

When it realized I'd noticed it, its ears fell back and it growled warningly while raising its black nose defiantly.

It seemed as though I'd crossed another werewolf's territory, but how could it be transformed when there was no full moon and it was afternoon?

Growling dominantly, I started approaching it and attempted showing that I was clearly the alpha, but he never backed away or cowered.

"_Who are you?_" I growled in my canine voice. "_And how dare you threatening me?_"

"_The proper question is… how dare _you_ threatening me. I'm the alpha of my pack, _bitch_,_" he retorted viciously.

Losing my temper, I darted towards him with an incredible speed and tackled him to the ground, baring my sharp teeth at him.

"_You obviously don't know what I am. Unfortunate for you. Who are you?_"

He showed no sign of wanting to back down and overpowered me for a moment, showing off his own set of sharp teeth.

"_My name is Blake. Don't bother introducing yourself, Sugar. I know who you are and what you are. You're Clarissa Mikaelson – the daughter of the notorious Klaus._"

Oh shit. So my dad was a bit famous in the supernatural community…

"_Well, I don't care if you know me or not,_" I spoke firmly. "_You are the one trespassing and creating news by mauling innocent people._"

He emitted a sound that sounded like a haughty laughter and approached me casually, remembering to stay at a safe distance from me.

"_What's so funny? I should rip your throat open right now for threatening me!_"

"_Oh, and she has fire! I like that, Clarissa. You're going to need it if you ever cross me or my pack again. From this day on, these woods belong to the Rouges._"

And with that, he howled loudly and I noticed several lurking werewolves disappearing off into the darker parts of the woods, leaving me baffled and bewildered.

Who in the hell were the _Rouges_?

I'd studied enough werewolf, vampire and witch history to know that this pack wasn't a notorious pack many people had come across.

Either they were a fairly new pack or they were excellent at hiding their tracks.

I opted on the first due to the way they mauled these people and allowed them to be found by people passing through the woods.

Taking a shortcut, I rushed back to the Salvatore Boarding House to tell Damon the news and also get some clothes that weren't covered in dirt.

Aiden should be back home by now as well and hopefully hadn't gotten into any trouble while I was investigating.

If anything happened to him, I was positive my father would kill me.

Quite literally, too.

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**A/N2: Quick note. I couldn't find any living, suitable character from the TVD or TO fandom, so Clary's love interests will be strictly OC.**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	2. Enzo

**A/N: Hellooo! Here's the next chapter and it's extra long, because... well, I love you guys and... -flails- **

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**~~ Enjoy!**

Chapter 2:

A smack in the head with a pillow awoke me early in the morning and I found myself gazing up into the eyes of my younger brother.

"Dude!" I exclaimed grumpily and hid underneath my duvet. "What time is it?"

"Nearly eight. Mom called. She wants to talk with you," Aiden replied, pulling my duvet away.

"Oh… right." I took his cell phone and answered sleepily, "Yes, Mom?"

"_Sorry to wake you both up so early, but I just wanted to know if you got to Mystic Falls safely. I hate when I have to let you both go on your own…_" she said in her usual concerned tone.

"We're fine, Mom. Damon is fine too, well, when he isn't brooding over Elena. When is Stefan coming back home?"

"_Oh, he's on his way. That's the second thing I wanted to mention. Until your father and I get to Mystic Falls, Stefan and Damon are in charge, so listen closely to them. I trust you, Clary._"

I groaned quietly and noticed Aiden rolling his eyes as well. "Okay, we will. By the way… do you or Dad know a pack that calls themselves the _Rouges_?"

My mother fell silent for a moment and I heard her cover the phone as she repeated the question to Dad, who answered something inaudible.

"_Your Dad will examine it, but I can't say for certain that I've ever heard about it before. Why do you ask, sweetie?_"

"Oh, just… err, I heard some rumors, that's all. I gotta go, but I love you, Mom!" I hung up and noticed Aiden was giving me a look. "What? I can't tell them I got attacked by a werewolf!"

"I'm not judging. I'm proud of you, sis!" Aiden laughed and snatched his phone back before returning to his bedroom.

Shaking my head lightly, I stepped out of bed and walked downstairs in my pajamas to find Stefan speaking with Damon in the living room.

I overheard the word "_werewolves"_ being said and stopped dead in my tracks.

They must've heard my footsteps, because they changed the topic of their coversation when I walked into the living room.

I rushed towards Stefan and hugged him tightly, having missed seeing him since the last time I came to visit them.

It was strange being physically the same age as my youngest uncle, but to me he was still much older and wiser than I.

"Uncle! How have you been?" I asked, smiling widely.

"I've been good, Clary. You keep growing fast every time we meet," he replied, chuckling softly. "I remember when you were just a little girl. You used to touch people's faces all the time."

I blushed brightly at the memory, but there was a reason why I used to do that.

Touching their faces allowed me to get a glimpse into their minds and I always found their memories so fascinating.

"Mom already told me that you and Damon are in charge of us until she gets here," I said with a pout. "I clearly don't need a babysitter. Aiden, maybe, but not me."

"Oh, don't think you're getting away that easily," Damon commented. "You have your dad's impulsive behavior and mother's weakness to danger, which means you're more likely to get into trouble than Aiden is."

"Not true!" A lie, but they needn't know that.

Flailing of displeasure, I stormed into the kitchen to make breakfast, enjoying a heated glass of human blood from a blood bag.

The memory of the dominant werewolf threatening me like that was still fresh in my mind and I wondered who this Blake guy truly was.

He seemed to know me clearly while I remained oblivious and without a surname, I couldn't track him down.

All I remembered was his dark golden eyes and dark gray fur… and of course, his voice.

I couldn't detect a distinctive accent, so I assumed he was from around here and the way he behaved led me to believe that he was quite young.

"I know Damon's birthday was yesterday, but shouldn't we hold a party for him?" Aiden suggested, a hint of mischief in his eyes.

"Oh, so you have an excuse to get hammered and sleep with girls?" I retorted.

He childishly stuck his tongue out at me and I retaliated immediately, making Stefan laugh at our immature behavior.

"A party does sound nice and after Elena said they needed a break, I think he could use the distraction," he said. "But if I catch either one of you drinking, I'm telling your parents."

Aiden and I shared a knowing look as we both had the same thought, remaining quiet to keep our responsible uncle in the dark.

"Okay then. I better put Rebekah's lessons in party making into use," I said. "I'll be back in a few hours, so try keeping Damon out of the house in the afternoon."

Bringing my tray of breakfast with me upstairs, I planned buying a list of decoration items along with inviting old friends of Damon.

Finding Damon's old friends wasn't exactly the easiest task and definitely not on such a short notice, because he didn't keep a list in his bedroom.

During a short trip to the Grill to check if Damon was still being distracted, I noticed the same vampire I'd seen yesterday.

Would it be weird if introduced myself?

Yeah, probably. Unless…

Noticing that he was standing up and walking in my direction, I decided to walk towards him as well and "accidentally" tripped over my feet.

I'd seen countless of romantic movies with my mom and knew an accidental fall might lead to a small conversation and a bit of flirting with him.

A few feet away from him, I tripped in the most genuine way I could and fell to the floor, cussing quietly to make it appear more convincing.

He barely glanced in my direction, though, so I cussed under my breath and gathered the things that fell out of my plastic bags.

"_Well, that was an incredibly mediocre fall_," a familiar voice sounded.

The corners of my lips curled upward as I recognized it and I discreetly dragged my aunt Rebekah out of Damon's sight.

"Bekah! Wait, what are you doing here?" I asked, eyeing her suspiciously. "Not babysitting, I hope."

"Well… my dearest brother doesn't quite trust you and your pesky little brother with the Salvatores and I don't blame him," she replied, confirming my suspicion. "But I'm also here to help you with the party. You do want it to be memorable, don't you?"

Nodding, I embraced her tightly and rushed back to the boarding house with her to begin decorating the entire house.

Normally, I refrained from using my hybrid abilities unless it was absolutely necessary, but today was without a doubt an exception.

While Rebekah decorated downstairs, I ran swiftly from room to room upstairs and made sure nothing looked dull or dirty.

"Who was the stud you tried wooing today?" Rebekah questioned when I finished my part.

"Err… I don't know. And I wasn't trying to woo him," I replied, blushing a little. "He seems to be new in town, so I wanted to know more. You know how curious I get."

"Yes, and I also know that curiosity killed the cat…" She eyed me worriedly.

"_And_ satisfaction brought it back. Your point? Besides, I'm a hybrid. I'm more likely to harm him."

I slumped down on the couch and propped my feet up on the coffee table, but she pushed my feet down to clean the table.

"Still… be careful. I've had my heart broken countless of times by vampires."

"Dad said you've dated hunters, too. And humans…" I furrowed my light brown brows and rubbed the back of my neck. "You think a human could fall for me? Knowing what I am."

She noticed the hint of concern in my eyes and a faint smile formed on her lips as she slumped down beside me.

"Of course, Clary. You won't find him straight away, but you'd be surprised how many people actually don't fear vampires to the point that they want them dead. I wouldn't recommend dating a human, though. They're so fragile and easily killed."

"I could always turn the one I end up marrying into a vampire… if they wanted to, of course," I said, smiling.

"And if you can't turn humans? All we know is that you and your brother can turn werewolves into hybrids. But don't worry your pretty head about that now. You've barely lived a life."

Dropping the topic, we finished up the preparation and started receiving messages from Damon's old friends regarding whether they could come or not.

However, rumors tended to spread like wildfire in this town and before we knew it, young adults and teenagers showed up uninvited to party.

Rebekah assured me that it was harmless and simply urged me to deny anyone below 18 of access to the party.

Around six, Aiden and Stefan brought Damon home to a filled house where he was greeted with birthday cheers and random, drunken screams.

I'd dressed up for the occasion as well and wore a sparkly black dress while my hair was tied in a loose braid over my shoulder.

I could barely walk properly in the black killer heels Rebekah bought for me and preferred wearing my sneakers or at least ballerina flats instead.

Somehow, I managed wobbling towards Damon and threw my arms around him, whispering: "Happy birthday" one more time.

"Why would you plan a surprise party for me? My birthday was yesterday!" he said grumpily.

"I… well, it was… uh, c'mon! We just want you to have fun and stop sulking all the time." I dragged Damon into the living room and brought him a red plastic cup with bourbon in it.

"Seriously, when did you last go to a party?" I asked, watching him glance around at the decoration.

"That's none of your business and you're god damn lucky I didn't tell your parents about this. Now scram, kiddo. I need to get drunk before I can enjoy this party," he replied, leaving me on my own.

I returned to Aiden, who'd somehow gotten his hands on a plastic cup as well, but luckily it was just plain beer.

"I don't want you to get hammered, okay? So keep it at five beers maximum," I said, using the serious tone my mother usually used. "Also, stick to beer. Nothing stronger than that."

"Gee, thanks Mother (!) You give me way too much freedom sometimes," he retorted sarcastically, pushing past me and mingling with the guests.

I rolled my eyes and snatched one cup as well, returning to my post at the door as bouncer.

I wasn't much of a partygoer unless I'd already had a few drinks, so there was no way in hell I would be going dancing anytime soon.

As the evening went on, I was well on my way to drink my third fourth beer when the mystery vampire showed up at the doorstep.

"Well, fuck…" I muttered, catching his attention suddenly. "I, uh, who are you? Friend of Damon's?"

"You could say that," he spoke with a distinctive European accent. "My name is Lorenzo, but he knows me as Enzo. And you are… his new girlfriend?"

I grimaced. "Ew, no! I'm his niece. Clarissa. I go by Clary, though. Um… come in, I guess."

Smooth, Clary. Smooth. A real man charmer…

I gulped nervously and quickly fetched him a drink. "Beer? We have something stronger too."

Enzo raised a brow and sniffed the beer curiously as if he'd never come across it before. I couldn't help but notice the structure of his jaw, the soft brown eyes and the way he smiled at me.

I could sense that he had a story to tell like my parents and had been through a lot in his life.

"I'll get you something stronger. I'm sure Damon has more than one bottle of bourbon. Uhh, stay right here. I will be right back."

I dashed through the crowd of people and returned within a few seconds with the bourbon as promised.

His eyes widened a tad and he showed a mixture of astonishment and curiosity on his face.

"That was quick. Either you are much older than you appear to be or you're not human," he said, tilting his head to the side. "Mind sharing the bottle with me while we casually flirt with one another?"

My cheeks turned bright red at his honesty, but I nodded and followed him out to the backyard to find a more peaceful place for us to sit.

I kicked off my black pumps as we found a bench to sit on and stretched my sore feet a bit.

"So what's your secret? Vampire or dare I ask… werewolf?" he asked teasingly, taking a swig of his drink.

"Err… vampire," I lied since I wasn't allowed to reveal my true specie to strangers. "I've been around for a while."

By "for a while", I meant 17 years, but he needn't know that… yet.

He appeared to be in his 20s or mid-20s, so I didn't see any harm in attracting his attention as long as he wasn't a sleazebag.

"Don't want to talk about it? I get it. I've been around for a while too. So… you're his brother's daughter?"

I shook my head and felt my cheeks turning a shade redder. "My mom is his half-sister. Don't ask. It's complicated family stuff, but… what brings you to Mystic Falls?"

He leaned back in his seat and gulped down another swig of his glass before refilling the glass.

"I have unfinished business and need some assistance finishing that business. I could use someone with the right strength, swiftness and cunningness to do the job."

Normally, I would decline from getting involved in people's business, because I was meant to act like a normal teenage girl, but my damn curiosity got the better of me.

"What sort of business? If you don't mind me asking…" I asked curiously.

Enzo smiled faintly and leaned dreamily close to me, causing the pace of my heart to beat faster and faster.

"Can I trust you with this secret, Clary?" he whispered seductively.

I wetted my lips to reply as I gazed into his eyes and was about to answer when Damon suddenly grabbed me by my arm, yanking me away from Enzo.

"Clarissa, go inside right now. I'm not gonna repeat that order," he hissed, his eyes blazing of anger. "Now!"

I'd never seen Damon this angry before and noticed that the anger was targeted Enzo, which only fuelled my need to know what he was doing here.

"What's going on? We were just talking and–"

"Yes, Damon. We were simply talking. Lovely niece you have there… I'm surprised her mother allows a _monster_ like you to be around her child," Enzo interrupted.

Growling furiously, Damon started dragging me back inside roughly and brought me upstairs to his bedroom so we could speak privately.

"What is he talking about, Uncle? Why did he call you a monster?" I asked worriedly.

"I… forget everything he said. He's up to no good, Clary. What did he say he was doing here?" Damon replied.

I opened my mouth to speak and closed it again, because although I knew Enzo was an enemy of Damon's, then I could tell that he was genuine in his search for someone to help him.

Werewolves _and_ hybrids could tell lies from truths and right now Damon was the one hiding the truth.

"Nothing," I lied, shaking my head. "He didn't tell me. I'm sorry. I didn't know he was dangerous. You won't tell Dad or Mom about this, right?"

He shook his head and his facial expression softened. "Your mother would kill me if she knew."

Drinking the rest of my drink, he abandoned me in his bedroom and locked the door behind him, so I couldn't get out.

I guessed it was his way of saying that I'd partied enough for tonight, but a nearly wasted Aiden was thrown into the room as well to keep me company.

"Oh, c'mon! I was just beginning to have fun here!" Aiden shouted after him to no avail.

Slumping down on Damon's massive bed, I rolled my eyes and crossed my legs, feeling the alcohol in me still rushing through my veins.

It would be difficult to tap into his memories if they were dark and negative ones, because those were usually the ones people tried hiding.

I had yet to learn how to break through that barrier, so I couldn't find out what Damon hid from me until I'd learned it.

"We throw him a party and this is what we get in return? Unbelievable…"

"Oh, shush. You've partied enough, brother. I'm more interested in why Damon lied to me. I think Enzo has dirt on him…" I muttered.

Aiden raised a brow. "Wait, what? Who's Enzo?"

The mentioning of his name caused my cheeks to turn red involuntarily. "Just… someone I met. A vampire."

"Oh… oh-uh! I recognize that look. It's the guy you saw at the diner, isn't it?" Aiden grinned and was about to start mocking me, but I threw my pumps at him.

Retaliating, he grabbed a vase and drunkenly aimed at me, but he threw it too fast and too clumsily and ended up breaking the window.

The loud crash and sound of porcelain shattering caught several people's attention outside and I quickly rushed to see if the vase collided with someone's head.

Among the group of guests, staring up at us was Enzo and he winked flirtatiously in my direction.

What was he up to? I wanted to know so badly, I was prepared to leap out of the window right now and follow him into the woods just to find out.

Within the next half hour, the party was ended and a grumpy Damon, who seemed to have had enough, threw his guests out.

He released us of our captivity and ordered us to clean up the mess as punishment for the broken window and vase.

"Well, this blows. We should never have thrown him a party…" Aiden complained, sweeping the floor lazily.

"No, _you_ shouldn't have thrown that vase at me and gotten wasted," I retorted as I picked up the empty plastic cups. "Is it just me or did he seem strangely moody tonight?"

"It's not just you," Stefan replied, joining us in the hallway. "I shouldn't be telling you two this, but Damon and I have done a lot of wicked things in our past. Many innocent people have died because of us and Enzo reminded him of that tonight."

"Who is Enzo? What's his deal?" I needed to know before I grew too impatient and figured it out on my own.

"Enzo… he and Damon were once captured by a group of scientists called Augustine. They were tortured for years and experimented on. The Augustine wanted to find our weaknesses, use us to their advantage and create a serum that would make vampires kill solely vampires."

I grimaced at the mere thought of being cut open and experimented on, regretting becoming angry at Damon and allowing Enzo entry when he clearly reminded Damon of their past.

* * *

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	3. Good Luck With Your Mystery Guy

**A/N: From the amount of reviewers and story alerts, it seems that not many are interested in the sequel anyway. **

**I could be wrong, but... it is difficult to tell if what I write is good or not based on so few reviews.**

**Anyway, thank you to those who did review and early Merry Christmas everyone!**

**~~ Enjoy!**

Chapter 3:

I snuck out of the house early in the morning while everyone was sleeping and went for a stroll through the woods.

The melodic singing of the birds and timid squeaking of the squirrels reminded me of the peaceful atmosphere I always found in the woods.

Sometimes, I would sneak off to the nearest forest after school and simply enjoy the serenity one could only find in a natural landscape.

I was forbidden to go anywhere near the bayou, but I'd heard rumors of a powerful werewolf pack living there in peace.

Werewolves weren't always welcomed in New Orleans and most of its native werewolves were believed to have been chased out or killed many years ago.

All that changed when my father took over the city.

His and my mother's pack ventured back when they heard the news of my and Aiden's birth, and now lived peacefully beside the witches, vampires and humans of the city.

A thought suddenly crossed my mind and I stopped dead in my tracks, sensing the presence of someone else – someone I'd met before.

I swiftly transformed into my wolf form and scanned the area cautiously, noticing a pair of dark yellow eyes watching me between two bushes.

"_I know you're here, Blake,_" I growled, raising my muzzle defiantly. "_I'm not frightened of you and your pack._"

The large wolf approached me slowly and narrowed its gleaming eyes at me, attempting and slightly succeeding in making me timid.

Taunting Blake was like playing with fire and a part of me secretly enjoyed it.

My sheltered life bored me immensely and it was probably the reason why I often followed my reckless impulses.

"_I let you off with a warning the last time, but rest assured I won't make the same mistake again,_" he threatened. "_I'm still deciding whether you're incredibly brave or absolutely dumb._"

"_I could say the same thing about you, dick…_" I flashed my teeth provokingly, but the sound of someone else howling caught our attention.

Crap. My mother was finally here and she'd followed my scent.

"_Saved by Mommy. Better run back home to her, pup._"

Blake emitted a haughty sound and left before my mother showed up in her wolf form, eyeing me with a hint of suspicion in her eyes.

"_You really shouldn't be sneaking off on your uncles like that or be alone in the woods,_" she said in her usual motherly tone. "_C'mon. I'm making breakfast for everyone today._"

I emitted a faint huff of displeasure and followed her obediently back to the Salvatore Boarding House where Rebekah was bickering with Aiden.

She'd been getting on his nerves since the party and it was hilariously obvious on his face.

Transforming back into my human shape, I dressed and helped my mother preparing the dinner table for breakfast.

She always wanted the family to eat together even though it usually ended up in arguments and bickering between her siblings and my dad's siblings.

"Why are you even making breakfast, Evie? The majority of us just need a glass of blood to be satisfied," Damon complained when she served breakfast. "Also, your cooking sucks."

"It does not!" She huffed and slapped the back of his head before taking a seat. "Is it that wrong of me to want us to have a normal breakfast?"

"I think it's pretty good," Aiden said with a mouthful of bacon in his mouth. "If you don't want your bacon, Uncle, then I'll gladly take it."

He attempted stealing Damon's bacon, but received a smack on his hand instead. "Don't touch my bacon, kiddo. You never touch a man's bacon."

I giggled and shook my head at the bickering while trying to figure out what to do about Blake.

Rather than telling my father about it, I wanted to try taking care of it on my own to show him that I _could_ take charge and be a good leader.

"You've been awfully quiet this morning, Clary," Mom said. "Everything alright?"

"I bet she's daydreaming about how hunky Enzo is," Aiden replied teasingly.

Damon's face turned pale instantly and silence fell at the dinner table, as everyone seemed to recognize the name.

"Enzo? Damon, you better explain fast before I stab you in the eye with my fork," Mom threatened. "He hates you. He wants you dead. Do you really think it's safe for her to be around him?"

Oh, boy… this could get ugly quickly.

"It's not like that, Mom," I said defensively. "He showed up in town and I spoke briefly with him. That's all. And yes, I know that he and Damon were cellmates."

Damon glared venomously at Stefan for revealing that, but my mother seemed more than simply concerned this time.

I refused to speak more about the topic, so I made up an excuse to leave the table and walked outside to sit on the porch.

My mother followed me, though, and sat down beside me on the porch. "I'm sorry I reacted the way I did, but Enzo loathes your uncle. He might do anything to get revenge."

"For what? What did Damon do that was so horrible? Enzo called him a monster at the pa– uh, park," I replied, hoping she didn't suspect we'd been partying a few days ago.

"It's complicated. Enzo and Damon were planning to break out. Damon regained his strength from drinking Enzo's cup of blood, but when he escaped at a party and killed the scientists, a fire broke out and… he had to leave Enzo behind. He switched his humanity off and walked out, because he couldn't break him free from the cage he was in."

Well, that explained why Enzo was so bitter and vengeful, but how did Enzo survive the fire and what happened to him afterwards?

My mother explained that part as well, though, and hearing about the gruesome things Damon had done to the Whitmore family made my stomach twist and turn.

It was one thing to know that your uncles, aunt and parents had killed before, but to hear about how they did it and why… it made it all more real.

"Mom, did you and dad ever do anything like that? Kill lots of innocent people?" I asked, dreading the answer.

I felt like I already knew the answer, but a part of me needed it to know for sure.

"I'll tell you this… your father and I have made a lot of mistakes in the past. We are capable of doing so much, but our abilities come with a burden and responsibility."

So that was a yes.

However, I refused to judge my mother and father for it, because I wasn't there when it happened and I didn't know why they did what they did.

"I better get ready. Aunt Bekah and I are going shopping. She thinks I dress way too boring, but you know Dad doesn't like when I wear modern clothes," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Oh, I know. He's so scared you'll attract the wrong kind of attention, but you are almost 18, so do choose what you want, okay?" Mom replied, pulling me in for a hug.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed away my worries and focused on dealing with my current issues while pleasing Rebekah as we went shopping.

She dragged me from store to store, forced me into trying countless of dresses, skirts and heels until I bought something she'd approved first.

"How's my dearest niece's love life going?" Rebekah asked curiously, as she tried on a new dress.

"Well… the usual, I'd say," I answered sarcastically. "Boys are either too scared to approach me, because of my Dad's reputation or I meet douche bags, whom my dad also scares away."

Rebekah rolled her eyes. "Then why don't you sneak out and meet the good boys? That's what I did when I was a human."

"Gee, I never thought about doing that (!)" I snorted. "I have tried and failed multiple times. Dad is like a hawk when it comes to boys and me. I don't know why that is."

A strange expression briefly formed on Rebekah's face and I wondered if she knew something, I didn't about my dad's overprotective nature.

"Nik's like that with me too. Don't worry. You just need to find the right guy and you do that by going out."

"Which – again – I'm not allowed or able to do. Only Aiden gets away with sneaking off and he's 15! I–"

I noticed someone out of the corner of my eyes and gasped, forgetting the topic of our conversation completely.

"Is that who I think it is?" I asked, pulling on Rebekah's arm to get her attention.

She followed the direction of my gaze and we both stared wide-eyed at my parents walking through the street, holding hands and being nauseatingly affectionate towards one another.

I rarely saw my father being so affectionate and sweet, but it reminded me of the kind of love I wanted to find one day.

I wanted passion, fire, excitement and adventure, so that there would never be a dull moment in my relationship or life.

"Your mother hated Nik in the beginning, you know. She tried killing him a few times too if I remember correctly."

"How romantic…" I giggled and shook my head. "Why did they fall for each other? Sometimes, they seem like two very different people."

"Different? They have much more in common than you think. I think that's what they bonded over. They both had a father, who loathed their existence and have never had a proper family. And your mother has always remained loyal towards your father. He's been betrayed too many times…"

She sighed heavily and turned her back to the window, gazing at her mirror reflection. "I like it."

After buying it along with a load of accessories, I grew hungry and dragged her with me to the Grill to get a snack.

While we waited for our meals to arrive, I glanced around in the Grill and noticed another new face, but this time it belonged to a human boy around my age.

He worked as a busboy and had an air of serenity about him – as if no amount of stress or chaos could make him lose control over a situation.

He was observant of people's clumsiness, quick on his feet and deeply focused in his work that he barely noticed the girls that sent him flirtatious looks.

Rebekah noticed me staring and a mischievous smirk formed on her lips.

"Oh, busboy!" she called melodically.

I blushed brightly and hid my face behind the menu when he approached us, his reddish blonde hair hanging messily over his eyebrows.

His eyes were strikingly green and as he came closer to us, I noticed something odd about him that made me wary.

He wore a bracelet with vervain inside the pendant, which meant he was most likely a hunter or knew a hunter.

"Hello, ladies. What can I do for the two of you?" he asked with a southern accent.

Texan, perhaps?

"Well, my friend and I were just debating over whether a sexy busboy like you is single or not. Are you?" Rebekah asked flirtatiously, batting her eyelashes cutely.

"My job doesn't include me telling girls whether or not I'm single," he retorted. "Anything else?"

Rebekah fell silent was looked shocked by his reply, because she was used to men reacting positively whenever she flirted with them.

When he turned around to leave, I quickly stood up and rushed after him, feeling guilty about what had happened.

"Wait," I said, blocking his path. "I'm really sorry about that. She only asked, because I was looking at you and… sorry."

His harsh facial expression softened and he gazed curiously at me as if he was debating something important in his head.

"It's alright. I've had a crappy day and shouldn't have taken it out on you and your friend. As for whether I'm single, then ask me again when I'm off," he replied with a faint smile. "I'm Zach."

Smiling shyly, I watched him walk away to pick up more dirty dishes and glasses, wondering if I should stick around and ask him again.

If he already knew about vampires, then there was a chance that he'd accept me – unless, he was one of those men, who loathed all supernatural species.

When I returned to Rebekah, she was shooting daggers at Zach with her eyes and looking like she wanted to hurt someone.

"Relax, auntie! He was just in a bad mood, that's all. Plus, he was wearing vervain, so maybe he sensed you were a vampire," I said, slumping down in the booth. "Ah, our food is here!"

"Hardly. It takes a trained and experienced hunter to sense the presence of an Original, but there is something strange about him. Why can't you choose normal men?" Rebekah answered grumpily.

I rolled my eyes and started eating, glancing in Zach's direction every now and then to see what he was doing.

He remained focused in his tasks and rarely took any breaks unless there was nothing to do.

I found it admirable to see him assist the servers with heavy trays, difficult costumers and helped the bartenders restocking the shelves with alcohol.

Overall, he seemed like a good and selfless guy, but seeing him behaving so kind-hearted towards his colleagues made me wonder what dark secrets he hid.

"Do you want me to stay or can you handle it?" Rebekah asked, leaving money for the bill.

"I'm pretty sure I can handle it," I answered laughingly. "If you meet my parents, then tell them I'll be home before dinner."

"Very well. Good luck with your mystery guy. I hope he's not a psycho." She winked and embraced me, then walked out with her many shopping bags in her hands.

Most of the time, Rebekah was more like a big sister to me than an aunt, but I admired her confidence and gracefulness.

I waited in the Grill for another two and a half hour, occupying myself with a game of pool, dart, reading, and even changed my clothes into the new dress I'd bought today.

It was silly of me to sit waiting for someone I'd just met and who possibly wasn't interested in me, but I was and would always be a hopeless romantic.

When Zach's shift finally ended, he walked past my table and stared at me in disbelief almost as if he didn't expect me to still be here.

"Most girls usually leave when I make them wait several hours," he commented. "Why haven't you…?"

"Clary," I finished for him and smiled. "I guess you caught my interest. What can I say? I'm a curious girl."

He chuckled softly and smoothed his hair back to get it out of his face. "Well, I guess I owe you an answer to your friend's question then. I am single, but I recently got out of a bad breakup. Coincidentally, this morning."

"Oh… ouch," I felt slightly awkward now, because it was obvious that he wasn't prepared to date yet. "I better leave you to deal with that then."

"No, no, no, I'd feel bad then. You did wait for me. I'm sure you're hungry again, so why don't we get something to eat? I know a good place down the street."

I smiled shyly and nodded, following him out to one of the smaller diners in Mystic Falls that most people often walked past, because they favored the Mystic Grill.

Zach seemed much more relaxed after we left the Grill, however, I could tell that his mind was somewhere else.

"What happened between you and your girlfriend? If you don't mind me asking…" I inquired kindly.

"You really want to hear my soppy story? It might scare you away from me," he replied with a smile.

"Yeah, I don't mind. I can tell it's bothering you and I doubt you can scare me away."

He held the door open for me as we entered the diner and hesitated slightly before continuing. "Okay, then… long story short, I discovered she'd been cheating on me with several guys."

"Wow, that blows! How did you figure it out?"

"Well… I went to visit her this morning before work and found her in bed with one of my friends. Nude. Seems pretty clear to me what she was doing behind my back. We argued and she admitted that she wasn't ready for a serious relationship."

I grimaced and sympathized with him even though I hadn't experienced anything like it except for one time where Kol chased a womanizer away before he could woo me.

"Dude, that's horrible. But look at it this way… you're young and fairly attractive. You'll meet someone better than her," I said as we took a seat.

"Only fairly attractive? Hmm, I'll take it," he replied teasingly, making me blush. "You're right. It's just difficult forgetting the feelings. I really loved her. She was so…"

I grabbed a menu and smacked him on his head with him playfully. "Don't do that. Do you want to get over the breakup?"

Stunned by my actions, he blinked several times and stared at me wide-eyed. "Uh… yeah. Did you just–"

"Yes, I did. Don't focus on the positive things about her. You'll end up wanting her again and get your heart broken again. Always remind yourself of what she did."

Frowning, he realized that I was right and nodded in agreement, leaning back in his seat and watching me for a moment.

"I don't believe in coincidences, but I do believe you were meant to help me. I like you, Clary. I had my doubts in the beginning and now I'm certain you're kind-hearted."

I rolled my eyes and laughed at his comment, feeling less awkward in his presence. "I'll happily be your friend. I don't have any friends here."

"Where are you from? I can tell from your dialect that you're not from Virginia…"

"Nah, I'm from New Orleans. But I was born here and so were my parents. I'm visit my uncles every summer. What about you? I haven't seen you here before either."

Zach ordered for both of us and waited until the waitress had left the table before answering. "I was born here too, but I've moved around quite a bit. It's… complicated."

I eyed him suspiciously, because I could sense that he was hiding something or not telling the entire truth to me.

But maybe he had a good reason.

I had plenty of secrets too and wasn't sure if I should reveal any of them to him just yet.

"Who's your new friend, Zachary?" the waitress asked kindly when she returned with our meals.

"Molly, this is Clary. Clary, this is Molly – my cousin," Zach introduced. "God, this smells good. Tell your dad that he's outdone himself."

Molly giggled and ruffled his hair affectionately. "I will, I will. And nice to meet you, Clary. Zach is a pretty good guy once he warms up to you. Let me know if you need anything else."

I nodded and thanked her for being so kind, tasting the simple yet intriguing grilled burger with spices that normal diners wouldn't dare selling.

It was like an explosion of flavors in my mouth and I could literally taste every ingredient due to my enhanced senses.

"Wow! This is… wow," I said through a mouthful of it. "This diner needs more customers."

"Agreed. But my uncle makes the weirdest combos. Not everyone dares tasting it," Zach replied, laughing softly. "If you're feeling courageous enough, you can come by again and try my favorite."

I wrote a mental note to return to this diner even though it didn't look like much on the outside.

* * *

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	4. The Calm Before The Storm

**A/N: Helloo, Happy New Year everyone and I hope you've had a wonderful evening!**

**The next update might come early or later as I need to study for an exam.**

**But thank you so much to those of you who reviewed!**

**~~ Enjoy!**

Chapter 4:

Eating together, we started talking about the basics – our family, hobbies, school and general teenage problems.

It was the first time in months, I actually felt like a normal girl and enjoyed our conversation, because he didn't know me and wouldn't judge me based on my background.

Unfortunately, we lost track of time and before I knew it, I'd missed dinner and received more than 10 missed phone calls from my parents.

"Ah, shit. I'm screwed. So damn screwed," I muttered as we left the diner. "I better get home quickly."

"I can give you a lift. My car's just around the corner and I doubt you can carry all those bags…" he said, pointing teasingly at them.

My eyes widened in horror. "No! No way! I mean… my dad is overprotective and… well, you don't want to meet him. Or my crazy family."

He burst out laughing. "Well, now I'm intrigued… Wait, right there. I'll get the car."

Before I could protest, he'd already run down the street to find his car and brought it around the corner to me.

I was a bit hesitant about going into the car with him, but reminded myself that I was a hybrid and ventured inside.

Perhaps I could arrive safely without my parents noticing Zach…

I doubted it when they were like hawks, but I had to make an attempt and if they happened to notice him, I hoped neither one of my relatives would scare him away.

I needed friends on my own age and an excuse to avoid spending every minute with my troublemaker of a brother.

Giving Zach directions to my parents' home in Mystic Falls, I dreaded his reaction as he drove up to the magnificent building my father designed.

"Ohh… you live _there_?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. My dad had it built a few years before I was born," I answered. "We use it as a summer house and lend it to the town for charity balls, contests and so on."

"Oh, yeah. I did hear they'd moved the Miss Mystic Falls contest to another mansion." He seemed surprisingly calm about the fact that I came from a wealthy family and simply admired everything.

However, as he parked outside the mansion, my father stepped outside and he was far from pleased about seeing me arriving in a stranger's car.

"That's your dad? When did he have you? When he was 16?"

Another reason why I didn't have that many friends… how did could I possibly explain to them that my parents stayed young forever?

"Ehh… it's hard to explain. Thanks for the lift and dinner. I hope I was able to cheer you up after the crappy morning you'd had."

Zach smiled and stayed in the car as I stepped out with my shopping bags, approaching my father like a puppy with its tail between its legs.

Dad glared suspiciously at Zach as he drove away and then turned his full attention towards me when my ride was out of sight.

"Thank you for coming home, Clarissa. It's only been-what? One and half hour since you were supposed to be home?" he scolded angrily.

"I'm sorry, Dad! I lost track of time, because Zach and I were talking," I replied. "And before you begin, then Zach is just my friend. We became friends today."

"And you decided it was responsible to get a ride from someone you've known for five minutes?"

"It's not like that and I can take care of myself. You know that. He's human."

My father growled under his breath and pointed at the mansion. "I don't care what he is. You could've gotten yourself into a lot of trouble. I forbid you of seeing him again _and_ you're grounded, Clarissa. Go inside right now."

"What? You can't forbid me of seeing him! You don't even know him!" I snapped.

"And neither do you. What if he's a hunter? Do you know what they would do to you if they learned what you are?"

I rolled my eyes and stormed inside, slamming the door shut nearly in his face as he followed right behind me.

I understood why he was angry with me, because I did neglect to tell them that I would be late and probably made them worried, but Aiden had done the same thing plenty of times.

My father called my name several times and demanded an apology, but I ignored him and impulsively smashed a mirror on my way through the mansion.

"_If she'd lived in my time, she would've gotten punished physically…_" he grumbled.

"_Yes, because laying your hand on your daughter is so going to help. Really, Nik? You're being too overprotective,_" Rebekah replied. "_You think I'd let her be alone with someone dangerous?_"

I tuned out on the rest of the argument and locked myself inside my bedroom, in desperate need of venting my anger.

_Deep breaths, Clary,_ I reminded myself and took three deep breaths to calm myself down.

Sometimes, it worked and helped on my temper while other times I needed to break something to feel better.

It was times like these that I truly wondered why I tried so hard to please my father.

Feeling exhausted, I stripped down and pulled my pajamas on before I ventured back downstairs to relax with the rest of my family.

My parents and little brother sat in the living room with Aiden – they watching the news while my father drew in his sketchbook.

I avoided my father's gaze as I slumped down in the armchair furthest away from him and opened the book I'd bought today.

A tense silence filled the room when my mother muted the TV and stared back and forth between her husband and I.

"Aiden, will you please help me carry some more wood for the fireplace?" she asked, giving him a look.

"Now? But we already have more than–"

"Aiden…" She stared him down until he gave up and followed her out, leaving me alone with my dearest father – probably on purpose too.

I remained quiet the entire time and kept my eyes on the text even though my mind was elsewhere.

Since I was too stubborn to break the silence, my father closed his sketchbook and set it aside, deciding to be the first to break it.

"I'm very disappointed about your behavior. You know better than to be alone with people you don't know," he said firmly.

"Oh, and do tell me how it's okay when Aiden does the same!" I retorted.

He growled. "That's different. Aiden is a boy and–"

"He's 15! He drinks, sleeps with girls and misbehaves more than I do! You never say anything to him!" I was furious and tired of him never listening to me.

Standing up, he approached me and snatched my book from my hands to get my full attention.

"Everything I do is for your own good, Clarissa. I know how boys think and don't want them to take advantage of you. You're young and have no clue of how dangerous the world is."

"Well, of course I don't! You never let me do anything on my own!"

His eyes flashed dark yellow for a moment as he lost his temper and reminded me where my lack of self-control derived from.

I sighed heavily and softened my expression, trying to form a sentence without ending up shouting at him.

"I just want to be like any other normal teenage girl, Dad… I want to go to parties, make mistakes every now and then, and explore the world. You need to have a little faith in me."

He calmed down as well and sat down on the couch, rubbing his face in frustration, because something bothered him – something he wasn't telling me.

"I know I'm harder on you than I am on Aiden, but that's only because you mean so much to me. I have been so close to losing you in the past…"

He fell silent as my mother and Aiden returned with more wood, unsure of how to finish his reply.

"Will you promise me to be more careful next time and let me know where you are?"

"Yeah…" I snatched his sketchbook and peeked at some of his work to lighten the mood.

Most of the drawings were of beautiful landscapes or of my mother, but there were a few ones of Aiden and I as kids, too.

The one positive thing I'd inherited from him was his talent to draw and paint, however, I had much to learn about art.

"That reminds me… next week, we are hosting a ball and I have some people I'd like to introduce to you," Dad said, watching me admiring his work. "I know how fond you are of masquerades, so that will be the theme."

The corners of my lips curled up instantly into a broad smile and I wondered how such an annoyingly overprotective father could still be so sweet at times.

"Ew, do we really have to attend another posh party? They're so boring, Dad!" Aiden commented sourly.

"Yes, we do, my son. Once you become an adult, it will be expected of you to host parties and create alliances through socializing with the right people. How do you think I've succeeded in getting so much power?" Dad replied.

"I'm pretty sure Mom's the reason why that is…" I teased.

"Ha! These kids are even cleverer than I thought," Mom said laughingly. "In your face, Nik!"

Laughter erupted as Mom teased him as well with her lovable and sometimes embarrassing sassy attitude that often made Aiden and I pretend to be someone else's kids.

I couldn't help thinking back to the times when I was just a kid and my father would play with me while Mom took care of Aiden.

He rarely acted in a silly or childish way, but when he did… it was absolutely hilarious.

Now he was boring and serious all the time except for when he spent time with my mother and tried being romantic towards her.

"You wanted to know something about a pack of werewolves?" he asked suddenly, gazing curiously at me.

"Yeah, The Rouges. I heard some rumors about them," I answered, half-lying. "Did you find something out?"

"I did… with great effort. They're pretty new – mostly werewolves without a pack or outcasts, who gathered. They're all about werewolves going back to their true nature."

"Like… staying in their wolf form on days where there isn't a full moon?"

That particular question caught his interest and he glanced at my mother with a look of concern in his eyes.

"Where did you hear those rumors from, Clary?"

I shrugged and fidgeted nervously with my pajama shirt. "Uh… people around town. It sounded like gossip. But it can't be true. I mean, werewolves only turn on full moons, right?"

The smile on my mother's lips disappeared and she appeared equally concerned.

"Of course, they do… however, there is a spell that reverses the effect. The werewolf stays in his or hers wolf form except on full moons. Werewolves, who don't want to be found, usually use this trick to hide from vampires," she replied. "I'm sure what you heard was nothing."

Somehow, my instincts were telling me that it was the opposite.

Blake had to be one of those werewolves and so were his pack members, which meant they were possibly all cast out or abandoned by their original pack.

I would know for sure next week when the full moon returned…

Yawning sleepily, I said my goodnights and headed to bed, thinking about the werewolves, the mystery around Enzo's return and my curiosity regarding a certain someone's past.

I slept less than peacefully that night and tossed and turned several times, craving answers to the questions running through my head.

Unable to fall asleep, I decided to sneak downstairs in the middle of the night and poured myself a half glass of wine, because it always had a soothing effect on me.

It was eerily silent in the kitchen, but peaceful and serene.

Or perhaps it was the calm before the storm… I glanced around to be certain I hadn't woken anyone up and grimaced when I noticed my father watching me from the doorway.

Busted.

"I'm going to pretend I did not see _that_," he said, pointing at my glass of red wine. "Why are you up so late?"

I sighed heavily and slumped down on a stool at the kitchen island, watching him moving towards the fridge to wash an empty glass.

The faint scent of whiskey stained the bottom of the glass, so I assumed he'd been up late as well.

"I can't sleep. I have these bad feelings," I said sleepily. "I have so many questions I need answers to. It's my damn curiosity. I don't get where it comes from."

My father frowned and placed the glass back in the cupboard after drying it, keeping his eyes on me the entire time.

"What sort of questions do you need answers to?" He walked up to the island and took a seat opposite me, finally showing me his full attention.

"Remember that guy I came with? I feel like he's hiding something. I want to know what it is and whether I can trust him completely. He seems nice, though."

A faint smile appeared on his lips. "Do you fancy him?"

My cheeks instantly turned bright red and I shook my head, but it felt like a small lie. "Not exactly 'fancy'. He's sweet, kind and determined. He and his girlfriend recently broke up, so…"

His expression hardened and he let out a huff of displeasure. "Don't fall for him, Clarissa. You will end up hurt, because he isn't looking for love. He simply craves female attention and a distraction from his heartache. If he even had a girlfriend…"

"He did. He wasn't lying. But he seems genuine in wanting to know me."

My father stubbornly shook his head and gazed at me with a hint of remorse in his eyes. "Forget about him. I'm sure you will meet someone better at the masquerade ball. Like a werewolf. You need someone who's your equal, not a weak human."

"You mean: 'I'll meet someone you see fit as my boyfriend'?" I rolled my eyes. "That's why you're being so nice to me, isn't it?"

It was evident in the way he spoke and acted that he was saving me for someone else.

"There is someone I want you to meet, yes, but let me explain. I–"

I drank the last of the red wine and growled as I stormed out of the kitchen before he could finish, returning to my bedroom in a worse mood than when I left it.

I could be wrong about my father's intentions, but it was more likely that he was

His old-fashioned way of thinking made me wonder if he was stuck in another century, because nowadays the specie of my boyfriend shouldn't matter.

I'd heard about vampires falling for witches and werewolves falling for vampires, so why couldn't a hybrid be allowed to fall for a human?

I ended up exhausting myself with all of these thoughts, but the talk with my father also left me thinking if I was judging him too quickly.

My father was controlling, overprotective and secretive, but surely, he thought about my happiness and didn't want to see me unhappy.

Whoever this mysterious person was, then he had to be trustable since my father thought he'd be a good match for me.

In the morning, I snuck out of the mansion and went for another run through the woods, caring not if anyone was watching or following me.

Running in my wolf form to the falls, I simply enjoyed the silence and peaceful scenery, remembering the tales of how I was born in this same forest.

It could be the reason why I always found myself drawn to it.

Blake never made an appearance this time nor did any of his pack members lurk in the forest, which surprisingly bored me.

A part of me had already grown fond of our bickering.

Spending an hour or two in the woods, I finally found the relaxation and inner peace I desired and returned to my home in time for lunch.

I needed to focus on something else, because if I spent the whole summer thinking about love and boys, I'd end up wanting to slap myself.

Perhaps one of my uncles could bring me back on the right track and remind me of what I should truly be focusing on right now.

Like living my life normally rather than seeking out trouble and danger.

The last thing I wanted to do was following my beloved grandmother's footsteps...

* * *

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	5. Unfinished Business

**A/N: -facepalms- I just realized I wrote this chapter a few days ago and spent hours writing chapter 6 e.e**

**If I get a good grade at my exam tomorrow, I'll upload the next chapter as soon as I get home!**

**Thanks for the reviews and... well ~~ enjoy!**

Chapter 5:

"This town is getting uglier and uglier for every decade that passes," Kol said grumpily as we sat in the Grill together. "Then again, it didn't look much better when I grew up here."

I rolled my eyes and sipped my diet coke, glancing around curiously for someone in particular. I wanted Kol's opinion on Zach, because he could see through façades better than anyone else could.

"You sound like an old, grumpy man sometimes," I said teasingly and stole a French-fry from him. "I think the town has its own charm. It's modern, but traditional in a way."

Kol laughed haughtily and shook his head of me. "I'm guessing you didn't just invite me to discuss the appearance of this town, did you?"

"Nope. I need an advice and your opinion on someone. That guy over there." I pointed at the entrance of the Grill as Zach entered and couldn't resist the urge to smile.

Kol followed the direction of my gaze and raised an eyebrow, gazing at me afterwards.

"You called me in for _boy_ _problems_? I have more important stuff to take care of right now. Like finding out who stole my bottle of expensive bourbon two weeks ago."

I blushed brightly and showed him my puppy eyes. "Pleeeaassee… I'll tell you who stole your bottle of bourbon."

He groaned and raised his hands in defeat, so I waved Zach over to our table and hoped Kol wouldn't scare my new friend away.

Zach eyed Kol suspiciously, though, and had the same hostile attitude he'd displayed in front of Rebekah last week.

Could he sense that they were vampires?

"I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out after work. If you're not too busy, of course…?" I said.

"I can't today, sorry. But tomorrow I have a day off and planned on going to a party near the old Lockwood property. You should come, too. Your friend can come too," he replied, offering Kol a smile.

"Maybe I will. We could go there on a date, Clary. What do you say?"

I wanted to grimace at the thought of going on a date with Kol, however, I realized what he was trying to do and played the part.

"Sure, sounds fun. Thanks for the invitation, Zach." I stole another one of Kol's French fries and leaned back in my seat.

Zach smiled softly and abandoned us to start his shift without saying another word, but the tension in his face was noticeable even to me.

"Your little friend is a hunter. I can see it in the way he behaves," Kol stated. "Also, he seems to fancy you. Why he does that is a mystery to me…"

My heart skipped a beat when Kol revealed the conclusion of his analysis of Zach, but I also couldn't help but feel disappointed about the fact that he might be a hunter.

My father would rather hang himself than allow me to date a hunter.

"Wait a minute…" I punched Kol's arm and he burst out laughing. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. My God, you are exactly like your mother." He grinned and ruffled my hair. "Who stole my bourbon then? I'm going to teach the bastard a lesson or two."

"Uh…" I gulped nervously and glanced at my watch. "Oh, look at the time! I gotta hurry home for dancing lessons. It is my big night in a few days."

I sighed and groaned internally at the thought of having to be showcased in front of so many werewolves.

It was as if my father lived in the past and couldn't shake the old traditions off of him.

I left some money on the table and hurried home even though I was early, remembering the previous dance lessons my father had forced me through in the past.

Waiting in the magnificent ballroom was my other uncle Elijah to my surprise and the people I expected to see were nowhere to be found.

"Let me guess… Dad's working?" I guessed unhappily.

"Yes, an important meeting came up unfortunately. However, he insisted your lessons were not wasted and asked me to teach you the steps. I taught Aiden them earlier with much difficulty as he, too, isn't fond of these type of balls," Elijah replied.

"Right. Rebekah says it's more of a coming-of-age kind of ball than a social gathering," I watched Elijah press play on a stereo and classical music filled the silence between us. "Will I be expected to dance with many boys?"

"Probably. Although, your father will want you to pay attention to the young man he has chosen for you and appear sociable to his business associates. You might end up taking over one day."

"Pfft, I doubt it. Dad obviously wants Aiden to do that," I placed my hand on his shoulder and held his free hand with mine. "I feel like he's living in the 18th century and just want to marry me off."

"Oh, that's not true. Your father… tends to have harmful intentions, but he _never_ has anyone when it comes to the future of his children. He wishes nothing but the best for his family."

As Elijah started the dancing lesson and showed me how to move about in the ballroom with the gracefulness of a noblewoman, I couldn't stop worrying about who this mystery man was.

How old was he?

What sort of interests did he have?

Would I end up falling in love with him?

The worrying distracted me from the purpose of this lesson, and to Elijah's exasperation, I kept stepping on his toes accidentally or fell over my own feet.

"Sorry," I muttered awkwardly. "I'm just… nervous. I thought this ball would be fun and a chance to relax from my duties as Klaus Mikaelson's daughter, but it's another duty."

"It's understandable, Clarissa. You were born into an incredibly powerful family and to maintain this power, you as well as your father has to act a certain way…"

Elijah smiled faintly and brushed a lock of my long hair behind my ear.

"Look at it as a challenge – a great adventure in which you seek the result of your effort. And do not forget to treasure the life you have, because there are people with far worse lives than yours. Take your mother; she had nothing and worked her way up."

I groaned. "I know, I know. I'm sorry, Elijah. I must sound like a spoiled brat to you. I'll do my best at the ball and make Dad proud of me if that's what I have to do."

"_Don't forget to make yourself proud, too,_" Mom said, approaching us with a smile on her lips. "It's an important night, yes, but you can show them what kind of person you are – what you're made of. You're not just a Mikaelson. You're a Blackthorn too and we're proud of who we are."

I smiled happily and felt some of my concerns vanish, because I'd been reminded of the fact that I was part Blackthorn too and that was a great honor.

From what I'd learned, the Blackthorns were possibly the bravest and most loyal werewolves in this country with an uncanny ability to face danger no matter what.

"Thank you, Mom. You never fail to amaze me," I said, hugging her tightly. "Wait, have _you_ met the young man Dad wants to introduce me to?"

She shook her head unfortunately, so I was still left in the dark until Friday.

Damn it.

"Does anyone at least know his name or age?"

"I've heard he's a few months from turning 20 and that he's the son of an alpha," Elijah said. "But your father has been unusually quiet about his choice."

Unfortunately, Elijah was called in to the meeting as well, so he wished me good luck with my choreography and left me alone with my mother.

"Kol told me you stole his bourbon," Mom said, grinning. "I don't want you to make it a habit, but since you did steal it from _Kol_, I'll let it slide. He annoys me all the time."

I giggled and wished I could travel in time to see how Kol used to behave towards my mother.

Nowadays, they simply bickered or teased each other with smartass comments about their appearance and behavior.

I also wanted to see what my Uncle Finn and Uncle Henrik were like since they died before I was born.

"Can we practice the steps one more time?" I asked, turning on the music.

"Of course. I'll show you how to amaze and bedazzle them all at the ball!" Mom replied, smiling eagerly.

She attempted teaching me the steps I had difficulty with learning and didn't become frustrated with me whenever I made mistakes.

Halfway into the second lesson, Aiden reluctantly joined us after I begged him to practice with me.

At these type of balls, I usually danced with Aiden, because he was tall for his age, so we knew each other's strengths and weaknesses.

However, this time we were supposed to find date and I still wasn't sure of whom to invite to the ball as the only boy I knew in this town was Zach.

And a lot of things could easily go wrong if I invited a hunter.

"Who are you inviting?" I asked quietly while our mother watched us dance.

"A girl named Melissa… I think. Or was it Melinda? I'm not sure, but she's hot," Aiden answered, grinning from ear to ear.

"Of course, she is…" I smiled wryly and rolled my eyes. "I haven't found anyone yet."

"Then go alone. The party is hosted by us anyway and you do have that guy to impress."

I grimaced noticeably and deliberately stepped on his foot, making him let out a whimper in pain and apologize for the comment.

When we finished the entire choreography with nearly no mistakes, I went on a stroll through the forest to get some fresh air.

There were no signs of a certain werewolf or his pack, so the need to transform never appeared.

Humming the melody to the song, I was supposed to dance to at the ball, I never noticed that another specie was following me to the waterfall until it was too late.

I felt someone push me against a tree suddenly and my eyes instantly fell on a pair of familiar eyes that belonged to Lorenzo.

"Enzo," I said, startled by his sudden appearance. "I thought you were gone."

He smirked mischievously and shook his head, releasing his grip on me and allowing me to stand properly.

"Not exactly… I thought it would be rude to leave without saying goodbye," he said, gazing at me with a hint of curiosity. "I also have a few unanswered questions for you. You're a hybrid, aren't you?"

I gulped nervously and said nothing, because I wasn't supposed to reveal that to anyone.

However, Enzo could read my body language and knew that his assumption was correct, causing him to smile.

"I know your uncle and I have had our differences… he left me to die instead of saving me many years ago, you know. Did he tell you that?"

I remained silent and backed up against the tree he'd pinned me against earlier.

"He only spent five years with those scientists. Do you want to know how many years I spent with them? Decades. I went through all sorts of torture – the stuff that could give you nightmares for years."

I shuddered at the horrible images that flashed in my head when Enzo placed his palm on my cheek and saw every disgusting memory of him being tortured.

I also saw Damon standing on the other side of a cage Enzo was entrapped in, ignoring his pleas and cries for help as the room burned.

"Stop, stop, stop!" I cried, pushing him away from me.

My cheeks were wet with tears and my body was trembling while my body felt vaguely soaked in cold sweat.

I never realized how horrific the torture was until now and felt like avenging not just Damon, but also Enzo.

No one should have to go through all of those things.

"You understand me, don't you? Why I need to have my revenge?" he asked softly, watching me curiously.

"Yes," I answered breathlessly. "I can't believe… oh God and you…"

Enzo turned away from me and walked down to the river, picking up a few small rocks and throwing them in absentmindedly.

I took a deep breath to regain my composure and approached him, squeezing his hand gently. "I'll help you as much as I can, Enzo."

He glanced in my direction and a smile formed on his lips. "Thank you, Clary. I can tell that you are a kind person – much kinder and selfless than Damon ever was."

I couldn't hate Damon for what he did to Enzo, but I was disappointed by the fact that he gave up so quickly instead of looking for another way to break him out.

"Let me know when you want to do it and I'll be there. I can ask my family if–"åfe

"No, you can't tell anyone else about this. They wouldn't understand or care. They see me as the bad guy when I've done nothing wrong."

I nodded understandingly and embraced myself, unsure of whether this was a good idea after all.

Enzo noticed the doubt in my eyes and turned to me, placing his hands on my cheeks. "I am grateful for the fact that you wish to help. I just think it's best if we do this on our own. The less people who knows, the less prepared my enemy will be to defend themselves."

"Okay. I better head home now before someone sees me with you."

He nodded in agreement and smiled charmingly, planting a quick kiss on my cheek before vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Releasing a breath of air, I returned to reality and continued my stroll through the woods while trying to sort out the cluster of Enzo's horrible memories in my mind.

I needed to be a leader and ensure the safety of the supernatural species.

Hopefully, my courage wouldn't bring myself into too much trouble.

Needing more information about the Augustine society, I walked to the Salvatore Boarding House and paid my uncles a visit.

No one appeared to be home, so I let myself inside and went straight into the study room, looking through the many books they owned.

I quickly came to realize that those sort of books couldn't be found openly, so I walked into Damon's bedroom and searched through his belongings.

At least he'd gotten around to fixing his window…

The sudden sound of a floorboard creaking caught my attention suddenly and I listened carefully to hear if the footsteps belonged to my uncles.

It sounded more like paws than human footsteps, though, and there was more than one intruder inside the house.

I didn't know why werewolves would want to intrude my uncles' home, but my instincts told me that they were looking for something as well.

Arming myself quietly with a wolfsbane grenade, I snuck downstairs to figure out what they were looking for and if they _knew_ that I was here.

There were at least five werewolves, but only three of them were in their wolf form.

The two others – a brown-haired woman with a familiar birthmark on her shoulder and dark haired young man were giving the werewolves orders.

However, there was something strange about the young man that sparked my curiosity, because I could sense that he wasn't_ simply_ a werewolf.

He was a hybrid like me.

"We're being watched, Tyler," the woman said, gazing in my direction. "There she is. You're making it way too easy for us."

The young man – Tyler – noticed me as well and a dark smirk formed on his lips as he told the werewolves that they'd found what they were looking for.

Namely, me.

"Who are you and what the hell do you think you're doing in this house?" I asked, standing tall to hide my fear.

"An old friend of your father. Very old. I have unfinished business with him and I intend to finish them today, Clarissa," he answered. "Don't even bother attacking me. I'm an older and stronger hybrid, and you're also outnumbered."

"Well, then it's fortunate that I'm a fast runner too." I threw the grenade at them and they quickly took cover before it exploded while I ran for it.

Whoever this Tyler person was, then he was bad news and a threat we would see again.

The blazing hatred in his eyes was so evident that one would be a fool or blind not to notice it and realize that he was a man looking for revenge.

For what, though, I didn't know yet.

* * *

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	6. Tangled In A Web Of Lies

**A/N: Hellooo, I hope the amount of reviewers will increase a bit soon. Compared to the amount of people who wanted me to make the spin-off, I'm a bit saddened to see so few reviewers, but maybe I failed to make the story interesting -frowns-**

**Thanks to those of you who did review and follow it from the beginning!**

**~~ Enjoy!**

Chapter 6:

The earsplitting sound of a mirror shattering sounded downstairs and I cringed, trying to cover my sensitive ears.

Hateful profanities escaped my father's lips as he dealt with the information I'd given him as soon as I came home about Tyler and his intentions.

Rebekah sat with me at the top of the stairs and watched the violent scene going on downstairs while trying to comfort me.

"What did my dad do? Why is he so angry?" I asked, sighing heavily.

"Clary… your father was a different person before you and Aiden were born. He was so volatile and did awful things to people. Tyler was one of those people," Rebekah answered reluctantly. "When he'd broken the curse on him and became a hybrid himself, he wanted to create more of his kind and Tyler was his first successfully made hybrid."

"Let me guess… Tyler was forced to become a hybrid?"

Rebekah nodded and we both flinched when a chair flew across the room followed by my mother shouting at him to stop.

"Then to make everything worse, Tyler betrayed him and turned all of his other hybrids against him. When Nik discovered that, he punished Tyler by killing his mother. She was all he had left."

I cringed and buried my face in my palms, having a difficult time accepting that my father would be so cruel.

"A few years later, Tyler discovered that your mother was pregnant with Aiden and that your blood can be used to create hybrids. On the evening of your mother's 21st birthday, he nearly killed your little brother. Your mother defended herself and saved Aiden."

I remembered Mom's birthday party vaguely, but what I did recall was the uncanny sensation of something bad was about to happen.

I wouldn't stop crying and no matter how much uncles tried, they couldn't make me calm down.

"Now he's back and wants me dead, because of something Dad did," I said quietly. "That's just great."

"Tyler Lockwood won't get anywhere near you. I'll assure that. We need to keep your brother safe as well, because he's in great danger too."

Jayden, who was turned into a hybrid with Aiden's blood, usually acted as his bodyguard in a way and would get him out of trouble.

I could only guess that Jayden would be spending a lot more time guarding him now.

"The woman he was with at the time… she was a Roux-Ga-Roux. I saw her birthmark," I said, wanting to change the topic of our conversation. "I thought we'd made peace with them."

"We did, but this particular werewolf is an old friend of Tyler. Her name is Hayley. She's been looking for her biological family for a while and when she did, Klaus wanted them gone, because they had a feud with the Blackthorns," Rebekah explained.

I was becoming more and more aware of the fact that my parents kept me in the dark about what truly occurred behind closed doors.

For all I knew, my father could be like a mobster and hurting innocent people.

Silence finally fell over our home, but it was for a brief moment before my father ordered his minions to find and bring him Tyler – dead or alive.

My mother found me sitting on the top step of the staircase and asked Rebekah if she could speak privately with me for a few minutes.

"How are you feeling, sweetie?" she asked worriedly.

"Anxious. Confused. Angry," I answered and sighed heavily. "I feel like I don't know Dad at all."

She grimaced and held my hand in hers. "Your dad has done horrible things in the past. I didn't want you to know, because this was before you were born and came into our life. He was so self-destructive and saw everyone as his enemy. I don't want you or Aiden to hate him too."

"But he killed someone's mother… I'd be vengeful too if someone murdered you."

She wrapped her arm around me and pulled me close, but even my mother's comfort couldn't soothe my nerves right now.

"I can't justify what he did and believe me – I have given him hell for what he did. There has been times where I've doubted if it's wise to be with him. I would be lying if I said I hadn't killed someone in cold blood too. I… I turned my humanity off on several occasions."

"Do you feel remorse for what you did?"

She nodded mournfully and gazed at my father when he stared up at us with concern in his eyes, showing the same remorse I could see on my mother's face.

Their mistakes were out of my control and I couldn't do anything about it except for letting them work on their problems.

"I think I'm gonna go to bed," I said, rising from my spot. "Night, Mom."

"Goodnight, Clary. Sleep well," she said, squeezing my hand. "I love you."

"I love you too." I walked into my bedroom and stayed by the door, eavesdropping on my parents conversation.

"_How is she? Is she hurt?_" Dad asked anxiously.

"_She's fine. I think she's just shaken up and shocked. It's not easy to process the fact that your dad's done awful things,_" Mom replied sadly. "_I knew this would come back to haunt us, Nik._"

"_I should've killed him and put him out of his misery when I had the chance. First my son and now my daughter… he has a death wish, Evie._"

My mom remained silent, but I could hear the faint sound of her sniffling.

"_The union needs to happen sooner. Without the Roux-Ga-Roux' support, we will have more to deal with besides Tyler's rage._"

I frowned and stepped away from the door, tuning out on the conversation.

What type of union was he referring to?

A part of me didn't want to know the answer to that, because I was becoming tangled in a web of lies, secrecy and drama.

I took a deep breath and decided to go to bed, needing to escape my problems and the drama going on outside my bedroom door.

I wished that I would wake up to a normal and supernatural-free day in the morning and realize that everything that happened today was just a dream.

In the morning, I awoke to find a text message from Zach, reminding me of the party tonight and saw it as a way to escape the secrecy and drama temporarily.

I needed a break and to have fun like a normal teenager, but I wasn't dumb and knew my parents wouldn't allow me to go to a party.

I wouldn't be going unarmed, of course, with Tyler running around and waiting for the right moment to strike, but I wouldn't let him scare me into hiding either.

But to sneak out of the home successfully, I required the assistance of the sneakiest and most manipulative hybrid I'd ever encountered.

My dearest little brother.

Half-past three, I stood outside his bedroom door and knocked on it, feeling as though I was on a secret mission.

Perhaps I was just excited, because I'd never gone to a party unattended by family.

"What?" Aiden asked grumpily as he opened the door.

"I need your help. Let me in," I whispered.

Rolling his eyes, he let me inside and I noticed that he was in the middle of playing on his PlayStation, shooting monsters or something like that.

"How do you sneak out and go to parties unnoticed?"

His eyes widened a tad and he slumped down on his chaise longue, examining my facial expression to see if I was serious.

"You're actually going to sneak out and go to a party Mom and Dad don't know about? At this time – right after you nearly got in danger?"

"Yes. I need to get away for a few hours. I'll bring weapons with me."

He folded his arms and grabbed his iPod, playing a random, loud song to cover up the next part of our conversation.

"I'm probably going to regret this, but I'll help. First rule – don't tell anyone where you're going or mention the party. Second rule – you need a foolproof alibi. I doubt they'll let you leave the mansion, so pretend you're busy doing something. I'll cover you if needed."

I nodded and made a mental note, knowing I could probably trick them by pretending to be painting something.

They rarely checked on me when I painted, because they didn't want to distract me.

"What else do I need to do?"

"Be back before they realize you aren't here. I'll text you when they start getting suspicious…"

Aiden switched his iPod off and returned to his game, waving his hand dismissively at me, because he wanted me to leave.

I hugged him tightly and nearly squeezed the life out of him, feeling grateful of his willingness to help me.

Running back to my bedroom, I started on a painting that would back up my alibi and asked Zach to wait for me at a safe distance from the mansion.

I waited until after dinner with announcing that I would be painting all evening and quickly dolled myself up for the party.

Aiden helped me sneaking out of the window by distracting the guards outside, but I had to run barefoot all the way, to where Zach was parked.

Everything went according to plan, but my heart still raced inside my chest as I stepped into Zach's car and buckled the seatbelt.

"Why do I get the feeling that you just snuck out of your home…?" he asked, eyeing me curiously.

"Um… just drive," I replied shyly. "I need to get away from my family tonight."

Zach nodded understandingly and headed to the location of the party, dressed nicely too and causing me to feel butterflies in my stomach.

"What about your date?" I detected a hint of jealousy in his voice and couldn't resist the urge to smile.

"Date? Oh, Kol! He found out he's gay," I lied, earning a weird look from Zach. "Yup, turns out he's gay. I didn't like him that much anyway."

"Okay…" He laughed softly and glanced at me. "Well, for what it's worth, then you would've wood him with that outfit. You look good."

My cheeks turned crimson and I avoided his gaze purposefully, reminding myself that he might be a hunter.

"Thank you. How are you doing lately? With your ex, I mean."

"Good, I think. She's out of my life for good. I heard she's with someone else now." His hands clenched the steering wheel when he mentioned the latter part.

"I'm sorry. You deserve better and need to move on."

He nodded in agreement, but it was like there was more to the story than what he was telling me. A girl had definitely broken his heart, however, his details were so vague.

"That's a pretty cool bracelet. Can I see it?" I pointed at his leather bracelet, still able to smell the faint scent of vervain inside the pendant.

"Uh… yeah, another time. That's where the party is." He pointed at the lake several feet away from us where dozens of tipsy teenagers were dancing to music.

I gulped down nervously and found the act of socializing with normal teenagers on my age more intimidating than the lessons my father occasionally made me endure.

How hard could it be?

Forcing myself to step out of the car, I walked with Zach towards the party and was immediately handed a plastic cup with beer by a total stranger.

"I wouldn't drink that if I were you," Zach advised, tossing it out and refilling it with beer from a keg. "There you go."

"Thanks," I said, sipping the contents timidly. "Don't laugh, but this is actually the first time I attend a party like this one."

Zach raised a brow and stared at me incredulously. "Are you serious? You've never been to a party?"

"Well, I have been to a party. But not one with people on my age, out of my parents' sight and with alcohol, music…" I grimaced when I noticed a couple going at it against a tree. "… and _that._"

He followed the direction of my finger and laughed softly, bringing me down to the lake where some of the partygoers were skinny dipping.

"Sounds like you've had a pretty sheltered life. Don't worry, I'll make sure you get through the party alive."

There was a table nearby us with several bottles of strong beverages, so Zach started mixing something together with what they had and created what he called the _L.A. Explosion._

"That looks… delicious," I said, pointing at the sparkling, scarlet liquid in his cup. "Not a beer guy, huh?"

"I like beer like any other guy, but I love flavor even more," Zach replied with a grin. "This drink has a lot of flavor and gets a person tipsy quickly."

"Oh-uh, who's gonna drive me home then?" I poked his arm teasingly and he laughed softly, taking a sip of the mixture.

"No need to worry about that. A friend of mine's gonna be our designated driver." He pointed at a guy with dark blond hair, who was chatting up a girl.

"Okay. Can I taste?" Being under the surveillance of my family meant that I'd only tasted small amounts of beer and wine in my life.

Zach hesitated slightly, but nodded and handed me the cup, watching me carefully as I sipped the exotic drink.

I tasted a dash of vervain in it instantly and coughed a bit as it burnt my throat, but lied and said that the drink was strong.

Vervain barely affected me, but it did do little harm and would give me allergy-like symptoms if I were exposed to it directly.

"I'm guessing you're not much of a drinker either?" he teased.

I blushed and shook my head, replacing his drink with the vervain-free beer before I raised his suspicion.

"There's something I've been meaning to talk with you about…" The smile on his lips had vanished and his tone had turned serious all of a sudden.

Walking up to two large rocks, we sat down on them and watched the skinny dipping teenagers running back to shore, because the water was freezing cold.

Some were laughing so much their entire face turned bright red while others squealed profanities.

I had to admit that I liked the atmosphere and how the teenagers were just… letting go of their inhibitions and being exactly how they wanted to be.

"Do you believe in… the supernatural?" Zach asked unexpectedly.

"Uh… depends what you mean by 'supernatural'?" I replied, feeling my heart race in fear.

"Like, vampires, werewolves and that sort of stuff. Do you believe that there's a possibility they could be real?"

I could lie and make it appear like I thought it was nonsense, however, I already felt bad about hiding the fact that I was far from normal.

Then again, he might not like hearing the truth and would probably stop talking with me…

"I don't know," I shrugged and gazed up at the nearly full moon. "I like the idea of them existing, but… it seems abnormal."

It wasn't the truth, but it wasn't a lie either.

Zach seemed unsatisfied with indecisive answer and continued sipping his drink, appearing lost in his thoughts.

"Do you believe in them?" I asked curiously.

"Yes," he answered bluntly. "This is going to sound ridiculous to you, but…"

"_Zach! Dude!_" Two young men about our age approached us tipsily and pulled Zach into one of those manly hugs I'd seen men do in TV shows. "Who's the hottie?"

Their lustful eyes fell on me and I finished the rest of my beer to have an excuse to get out of the conversation.

"Oliver, Peter, this is Clary. Clary, these are some of my friends from school," Zach introduced, eyeing me worriedly. "She's from New Orleans."

"New Orleans? Incredible! What's it like over there?" Oliver asked, flashing a charming smile.

"It's… eventful," I answered shyly. "It's definitely different from Mystic Falls."

"I bet. Wanna dance? We might not have a lot here, but we know how to have fun," Peter said, winking flirtatiously.

"Sure, why not?" I came here for a reason and I wasn't leaving until I'd had some real fun.

* * *

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	7. What's The Problem?

**A/N: Heey! I'd like to thank all of you for reviewing and following this story!**

**Next chapter will be uploaded in a few days once I've finished it.**

**~~ Enjoy!**

Chapter 7:

Three strong cocktails and a beer later, I was reaching the final hour of my short time out, so I decided to spend it with Zach and pulled him to a more secluded area after our third dance together.

He'd taken good care of me and frequently made me drink water, so I wouldn't become drunk or dehydrated quickly.

I couldn't help but be amazed by how well he treated me, but it also made me wonder what happened in his life that made him so… responsible.

"I'm glad you're having fun tonight," he said, holding a branch for me, so I could pass through the wilderness. "Do you have a time you need to be home at?"

"Sort of, yes. My brother's going to text me and–" I suddenly started giggling uncontrollably and shook my head. "Sorry. It's just that… I just realized why my brother often sneaks out."

"Oh, yeah? How old is he?" Zach chuckled and caught me whenever I almost stumbled over my feet.

"Almost 16. He gets drunk at parties and sleeps with girls as he pleases, but our dad never says anything to it. Now if _I_ want to go on a simple date with a boy, I get banned of doing it."

Zach fell silent and so did I as the truths started escaping my lips.

When we reached a meadow of flowers, I stopped walking abruptly and turned around to face Zach, but I must've stopped too quickly, because he accidentally walked into me.

The closeness of our bodies made me lose my breath and I forgot the entire reason for stopping.

"So your father wouldn't allow me to take you on a date if I asked you?" he asked quietly.

"No… he thinks he knows what is best for me," I answered solemnly. "And _whom._ He didn't want me to pursue anything with you."

"And here you are… at a party with alcohol, no adults and spending time with me. I'd say you can do whatever you want to do. So what's the problem?"

I opened my mouth to tell him the truth – about what I was and why I wasn't allowed to do certain things, but I couldn't say it.

So I grabbed him by his shirt and crashed my lips onto his much to his surprise, but he didn't hesitate to return it.

Pressing me against a tree, he deepened the kiss longingly and brushed my skin with his fingertips in a way that ignited a foreign desire inside me.

However, during our passionate kiss, he was suddenly thrown back and an unknown, black-haired girl bared her fangs at me.

She nearly sunk the razor sharp fangs into my neck had I not quickly reacted and slammed her head into the tree.

"Oh, she's a feisty one," the female vampire said, twirling a lock of her hair around her index finger. "How long have you been dating her, baby?"

Baby? I frowned and glanced at Zach, noticing that he'd armed himself with a makeshift stake.

He truly was a vampire and judging from the way the female vampire gazed at me, she was more than just a bit jealous.

"Danielle… I see you decided to follow your lover's lifestyle," Zach retorted. "Can't say that I'm surprised, but why are you here?"

"To claim you as mine, of course." She smirked darkly and grabbed me by my hair, clutching a fistful of it. "I miss you, Zachary. I know I shouldn't have cheated on you, but I've changed."

"_Bitch_, let go of me or I swear to God, I'll–" She threw me into another tree hard and rolled her eyes, expecting to have broken a few bones inside me.

She did break a few ribs and my wrist, but unbeknownst to her, I was already healing up and prepared to fight her.

"Clary!" Zach attempted getting past to me, but his ex-girlfriend blocked his path and kissed him.

I growled in rage and jumped onto her, sinking my own fangs into her neck to leave a fatal bite that surely made her scream out in agony.

Shocked by my actions, Zach dropped his stake and watched as Danielle vanished into the darkness of the night.

I started backing away from him in fear of what would happen next now that Zach knew the truth – or at least a part of the truth.

"Are you… a vampire?" he asked as if I disgusted him.

"No, but clearly your cheating ex-girlfriend is," I answered angrily. "I shouldn't have come here. My father was right."

I turned around to leave and felt something holding me back or rather my wrist.

Zach tugged me back gently and showed me that he was unarmed when I pushed him away from me.

"What are you then? I know your father is a vampire and so are your… friends."

"Does it matter? We're all the same to hunters. The only difference between me and a vampire is that I was born like this. I never chose it."

Sighing, I vanished from the meadow and headed home on my own, regretting allowing myself to fall for someone I already knew was trouble.

Luckily, I returned early and no one seemed to have noticed that I'd been gone for hours.

Aiden didn't ask me how the party went and simply reminded me that I owed him a favor now, which he would probably claim soon.

I showered to hide any evidence of having been out, but the smell of alcohol couldn't be removed from my breath that easily.

I simply hoped that none of my parents would notice and that it would be out of my system in the morning.

"_Was it worth it?_" Kol suddenly asked, having snuck into my bedroom unnoticed.

"Was what worth it?" I crawled under my duvet and unbraided my hair to let it hang loose.

"Don't play dumb with me. I followed you to the party, Clary." Kol's tone was too serious for my liking and knowing that I had indeed been busted didn't help.

"Are you going to tell my parents?"

"Depends… was it worth it?" He took a seat by my desk, propping his feet up on it.

"Yeah, but I wish I'd done some things differently. How much did you see?" I could still sense Zach's lips on mine and remember how pleasant his touch felt.

"I lost you for a moment, but came just in time to see one vengeful ex-girlfriend attack you. I think you handled that pretty well. You shouldn't have started anything with him, though."

"I know…" I wrapped my arms around my legs and curled up together. "I guess it doesn't matter now anyway. My dad wants to set me up with someone else."

Kol nodded and rose from his seat. "Goodnight, Clary."

I remained silent as he showed himself out and closed my eyes, trying to fall asleep, so I didn't have to think about something else.

In the morning, I would have to entertain, socialize and intrigue a pack of werewolves, and meet a man, whom my father thought I would fall in love with.

By the time nightfall would come, the ballroom would be filled with werewolves, witches, vampires and humans, who were aware of supernatural species' existence.

I was silent throughout the day and only spoke whenever someone asked me a question.

My parents were too occupied finishing decorating the mansion for the masquerade ball tonight that they didn't have time to notice my foul mood.

Throughout the day, Zach also sent me several text messages and called me without any chance of me wanting to answer any of it.

Unfortunately, he was more persistent than I thought and showed up at the mansion while I was getting dressed.

I overheard Aiden arguing with him at the door and rushed down in my poofy gown while Rebekah was curling my hair.

The last thing I wanted to happen was Zach attacking my brother or vice versa.

"Aiden, I'll handle it. Elijah is looking for you," I lied, sending him off in another direction.

"I see you're having a ball," Zach commented, burying his hands in his pockets. "You look stunning."

I groaned and pushed him outside on the porch before someone noticed us. "What are you doing here? You can't be here."

"Why not? I come in peace. Also, I want to explain what happened last night."

"I know what happened. Your psycho, _vampire_ ex attacked me and I poisoned her." I folded my arms, feeling flustered about the entire situation.

"Yes, about that… I thought she was miles away with the vampire she met. I never wanted you to get hurt."

"Well, I didn't get hurt, did I? I'm fine. I…" I sighed heavily. "I'm a hybrid, okay? That's what you wanted to know, right?"

Zach placed his hands on my cheeks and forced me to meet his eyes. "I hunt vampires, yes. I was raised to do so, but I don't attack every supernatural being."

"So you're not… freaked out?" I was stunned by his reaction, because I didn't expect someone like him to be that open to 'freaks' like me.

Even normal vampires looked oddly at me and found me frightening, so why would he be any different?

"I am freaked out. No question about that, but I always give people the benefit of the doubt. You're a good girl and I like you."

It was strange how he could change my mood just like that and convince me into believing that last night wasn't such a failure after all.

"_Clarissa!_" Mom called from inside.

"Shit! I gotta go," I said quietly, stepping back. "I'll speak with you later."

"Oh? Ain't I invited to the ball?" Zach asked, grinning boyishly.

"I wish I could, but it's… a family thing. It's too complicated to explain. Sorry." I quickly pecked his cheek before rushing back inside to find my mother and Rebekah looking for me.

After a quick scolding, they sent back upstairs to be prepared and instructed on how to greet certain wealthy guests.

I had a feeling that Rebekah knew why my mood seemed to have changed so drastically and why I abandoned her.

Thankfully, she never bothered questioning me, as she was worrying about something else.

"Are Damon and Stefan coming tonight?" I asked to distract her.

"Stefan will, yes. I don't know about Damon. He loathes these types of parties," she answered grumpily.

"Oh. Has he even attended a ball before?" Her cheeks reddened suddenly and I noticed embarrassment in her eyes.

"Yes. 18 years ago… when my mother returned from the dead to kill her children. She held a ball in this mansion as an excuse to gather her children in one place. Then she cast a spell on us that linked us all together, so that if one of us died… the rest of us died too."

The smile on my lips vanished and I fidgeted with the hem of my gown.

I'd never heard anything good about my father's parents and in particular, my grandmother Esther, because she'd done so many horrible things.

"I'm sorry. But what's it got to do with Damon?"

Rebekah walked up to a table in her bedroom and picked up a black, lacy mask that looked incredibly expensive, but beautiful.

"He went to the ball with Elena and ended up hurt that night. I was hurt as well and one thing led to another…" I grimaced.

"Ew! Wait, so you and Damon… oh God," I shook my head and didn't even want to imagine them together.

"Oh, shush. I slept with Stefan too. I do prefer Stefan, though. He–"

"No, no, no, no! I don't want to know!" I covered my ears and rushed into my own bedroom where my own mask waited.

An elaborate and sophisticated floral pattern covered my black mask and it would complete my burgundy red dress once I wore it.

The reason why I enjoyed masquerades so much was that I could pretend to be someone else for a night and live a somewhat normal life.

Tonight I would pretend to be the daughter my father wanted me to be.

I reached around my head to tie the mask upon my face when a pair of familiar hands replaced mine and tied it for me.

"You grew up too fast," Dad said silently. "I remember when I held you in my arms for the first time. Your mother was cussing at me the entire time."

I smiled softly and turned around to face him, seeing him clad in a black tux that was sown to fit him specifically.

"Did she cuss at you when Aiden was born, too?" I asked, meeting his matching blue eyes.

"Yes, but of another reason…" He brushed a curly lock of my hair behind my ear, smiling. "I love you, Clarissa. I don't say it a lot, but I do."

"I love you too, Dad. I only wish you would let me do things my way once. Just once."

"You will have it your way one day. Please have an open mind tonight and do as I say," He planted a soft kiss on my forehead and offered his arm. "I hope you have been practicing your steps for tonight."

Escorting me downstairs to our guests, I decided to search for my mother and stayed by her side as newly arriving guests entered the hall.

Everyone was beautifully dressed from top to toe and spared no expenses in their attempt to outshine each other.

"I can't wait to get this dress off," Mom said grumpily. "I hate wearing gowns. I look like a pompous asshole."

I burst out laughing and caught Dad's attention, but when he approached us to tell us to behave, Mom leaned close to his ear and whispered something that made him blush.

"Right. I will… uh… see you later, Evie," he said awkwardly, walking away again.

"Do I want to know what you said?" I asked hesitantly.

"Nope. It's adult stuff." She grinned mischievously and darted after my little brother to stop him from drinking a glass of champagne.

Abandoned by both of my parents, I stood alone by the bottom of the grand staircase and examined the masked faces of the guests.

Some of them I could easily recognize while others were strangers.

I greeted the ones I did recognize when they approached me and was introduced to the ones I didn't know by Elijah or my father.

"_A drink, Miss Mikaelson?_" That voice…

Turning around, I found myself standing face to face with a young man with hair as black as his tuxedo and dominating, forest green eyes that captured mine instantly.

He was tall, athletically built and had handsome features.

"Blake, I presume?" I said, forcing a smile on my lips. "How do you get the smell of wet dog off your skin?"

He chuckled lowly and offered me a glass of champagne, which I accepted and emptied within a few seconds.

"And here I thought you were a lady," he retorted sardonically. "I see I was wrong. Then again, I was wrong about you being a strong warrior too."

Flashing me a smug grin, he bowed in a taunting manner and left me fuming of rage.

Who the hell invited that smug idiot?

He'd vanished from my sight before I could tell a guard to throw him out, so I decided to numb my hatred with more alcohol.

At least, I had an idea of what he looked like and wipe that smug grin off his face.

"I think you've had quite enough now," Stefan said, stealing my third glass of champagne. "Why are you so worked up, Clary?"

"I met someone I disli-no, _despise_ is a better word," I said. "He infuriates me every time we meet."

"Then don't let him infuriate you. That's what he expects to see." Stefan set the glass aside and offered his arm to me. "C'mon, it's time to dance and I hear you're one partner short."

Sighing, I followed Stefan into the ballroom with the rest of my family and attempted staying focused on tonight's goal.

Stefan was right about Blake's intentions and next time we met, I would make sure he respected me like the people of New Orleans respected my father.

I was an alpha and needed to act like one.

* * *

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	8. The Right Decision

**A/N: Helloo, as promised here's another update for my lovely readers!**

**Thanks for reviewing and giving me constructive criticism!**

**~~ Enjoy!**

Chapter 8:

"Mind if I borrow my daughter for a moment, Mr. Ryle?" Dad inquired during my fifth dance with a Roux-Ga-Roux werewolf.

"Of course not. I must say she is truly riveting," Mr. Ryle replied, kissing the back of my hand politely. "Thank you for the dance, Miss Mikaelson."

I curtsied politely with a forced smile on my lips and started dancing with my father, my feet feeling sore from all the dancing.

"I need to sit down soon, Dad. How much longer do I need to entertain them?" I whined.

"That's why I came to release you of your duties," he replied. "I assume you didn't like any of them?"

"Nope. What if I don't like the man you've found for me?"

"Oh, you will like him. I knew your mother would fall in love with me and I was right about her."

"You did not! You're bluffing." I glanced in my mother's direction and noticed she was speaking with Blake and two other werewolves.

"I'm not bluffing. Give him a chance. He has a good character and is honest. It's difficult to find an honest man nowadays."

"Can he be trusted? Is he loyal?" Loyalty meant everything to our family and to my father in particular.

"Yes. Werewolves are loyal to one another _and_ hybrids. Stay here while I fetch him and I shall introduce you to him at last."

I nodded and waited in my spot as he made his way through the crowd of people, stretching my sore ankles and wrists in the meantime.

I became aware of how some of the werewolves started watching me intently and saw them gossiping with one another.

It was uncanny and made me feel uneasy.

"Clarissa, I would like to introduce you to someone special," Dad said as he returned. "This is Blake Ryder."

I froze up and gulped nervously, slowly turning my head to gaze at the one person I did _not_ want to meet.

Now I understood why he always approached me, but knowing that he was the mystery man made me even more confused.

"You again," I said through gritted teeth.

"Me again, yes," Blake said with a smug smile. "I met your daughter earlier tonight. She is delightful – even when she offends you."

My father chuckled and nodded in agreement. "Just like her mother. I will leave you two to get to know one another."

Perfect. Absolutely perfect.

"You do look rather adorable when you sulk, I have to admit that," Blake said, breaking the silence between us.

"I don't know what's worse; the fact that my father thinks I'd even remotely like you or that he thinks you're my equal."

Blake smiled happily as if I'd complimented him and suddenly bowed before me, offering his hand to me and causing the women to giggle.

"Would you like to dance with me, Miss Mikaelson?" he asked politely.

"No. I'd rather poke my eyes out with a needle," I replied, noticing my parents watching me in the crowd. "I need fresh air."

I turned on my heels and stormed out of the ballroom as gracefully as I could with Blake following annoyingly behind me.

As I reached the balcony, I kicked off my shoes and simply stood by the ledge, gazing at the shining full moon in the sky.

A few seconds later, Blake joined me but he remained silent for once and enjoyed the view with me.

I started wondering if there was more to this party than what had been told me and that Blake wasn't simply chosen to be my boyfriend.

No, they expected more from it… perhaps even marriage?

"They want us to marry, don't they?" I asked monotonously.

"They do. Those were the arrangements made by our packs when we were simply pups," he answered, clenching his fists. "We stopped killing the Blackthorns and settled the score by marrying ourselves into one of the most powerful family in America."

To say that I felt betrayed would be an understatement.

I understood my parents' reason for making the choice, but I wished they would've told me and not treated me differently because of it.

I would've fallen in love with someone else no matter whether they'd told me or not.

"Do I even have a say in the matter? I _have_ to marry you one day?" I asked, finally meeting his gaze.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. But you're lucky, because I intend to change our lives and futures…" he replied with a firm tone and look in his eyes. "Your mother is looking for you. You should go."

"What do I say to her? I feel like running away and–"

He suddenly silenced me with a kiss that left me speechless and although he didn't touch me at all except for with his lips, then my skin tingled with excitement.

As he withdrew, I found myself slapping him hard as my mother walked out to us on the balcony.

She'd without a doubt witnessed everything, because a giggle escaped her lips when Blake winked at me before leaving.

Jesus, I couldn't believe my father picked this guy!

"Clary, do you have time for a moment? There's something I need to tell you," she said, guilt flashing briefly in her eyes.

I hesitated and avoided her gaze as I remembered what Blake revealed to me, wondering how a mother could allow her daughter to be sold more or less.

"I know everyone expects me to marry Blake, Mom," I said, turning my back to her to gaze at the full moon again. "I wish you would've told me."

My mother fell silent and approached me with hesitant steps, moving to stand beside me. "I wanted to, but how does a mother tell her only daughter that she has no choice but to marry a man she doesn't know, because of some mistakes our ancestors made?"

I shrugged and felt her hand on mine, squeezing it gently as she allowed me to see her memories from the time the deal was made.

I saw how they murdered my grandmother's cousin Mary, how my mother tried protecting her relatives and how angry she became when she learned what my father had done to protect her.

Saddened by the painful memories, I quickly broke contact with her and tried holding the brimming tears back.

"It's no excuse for what's going to happen to you, but I want you to understand why your father made the decision. He couldn't bear the thought of losing me and seeing me losing more of my family. Please don't hate him for it. Making that decision was so hard for him."

"Is Aiden going to marry one of them as well?" I felt numb inside and out, and wanted to elope this party as soon as I could.

"No. They wanted our firstborn, but I made sure I had the option to choose the right man for you to wed. I couldn't bear the thought of seeing you with someone, who wasn't suitable for my daughter."

I snorted and finally met her eyes. "Suitable? You think Blake suits me? He hates me and I hate him too. He's so damn arrogant, annoying and… aggravating."

"I know. I saw through his façade the moment we met. Many young werewolves volunteered happily to become your husband, you know. He wasn't one of them."

I frowned, trying to understand my mother's choice. "How is that helpful?"

"Well, for starters – he isn't looking to take advantage of you and there's something about him that reminds me of my relationship with your father. Sometimes, hatred does turn into love."

"Sometimes, yes. I doubt it will this time and I already like someone, Mom. He's… a hunter, but he knows what I am and doesn't want to kill me."

She smiled faintly and placed her hands on my cheeks, forcing me to gaze into her kind and loving eyes.

"I won't tell you to stay away from him, because I was told one too many times to stay away from your father and I never did. Do what you think is right, but keep in mind that you do have responsibilities. I know you will make the right decision when the time comes."

Kissing the top of my head, she left me alone on the balcony as well and I decided that it was time to follow my current desires.

So I snuck upstairs and changed into normal clothes before leaving the mansion alone.

A walk through the forest might clear my mind and help me figuring out what to do in this messed up situation.

I preferred keeping Zach out of my family problems, but I knew he wouldn't forget about me even if I compelled him to do it.

Or… would he?

It might be the best thing to do since I'd be risking the safety of my family by refusing to marry Blake when the time came.

"_Did you bring any weapons?_" a familiar voice suddenly said.

I turned around swiftly and found myself standing face to face with Enzo, feeling less intimidated by him now that I knew what he'd been through and truly wanted.

"No, should I have done that?" I asked calmly.

"No, I'm sure our strength combined will suffice. I was going to wait until after your little house party, but since you're here…" he replied, waving his hand dramatically. "Follow me, Clarissa."

Taking a deep breath, I decided to follow Enzo and focused on our assignment rather than the issues that truly bothered me right now.

I wanted to release my anger onto someone who deserved it and the Augustine definitely did.

Tonight, I wouldn't simply be avenging Enzo, but also what occurred to my uncle while he was their prisoner many years ago.

Enzo explained to me that the secret society had moved their headquarters since the previous one was wrecked.

There were new scientists, more guards and a more advanced technology being used now.

We watched the guards from afar when we arrived at the headquarters just outside Georgia and planned making a full on frontal attack.

"The guards will be difficult to get past. They're trained to kill vampires the moment they notice them, but they won't suspect you to be one," Enzo said. "Distract them and then I'll take them out."

"Are you sure they won't hurt me?" I asked worriedly.

"Yes. But first we need to make you look like a damsel in distress," he answered, suddenly ripping certain parts of my clothes. "Go play your part."

I gulped nervously, but followed his orders and ran out from the darkness of the woods, my clothes torn and fake tears running down my cheeks.

It wasn't hard to make myself cry, because all I had to think about was how betrayed I felt when Blake revealed the truth to me.

The guards raised their weapons when they noticed me, but soon lowered them again as I pretended to be upset and terrified.

"I-please help me! I need to call the police. Please, don't let me be alone out here!" I said pleadingly through sobs.

They gazed in the direction I'd come from and one of them decided to go check it out while the other stayed with me.

I felt that his gloved hands were soaked in vervain when he touched my arm, but my skin healed too quickly for him to notice its effect on me.

"Miss, I need you to stop crying and tell me what happened exactly," he said while I rambled on about a monster attacking me. "I–"

A muffled scream suddenly sounded in the far distance, as Enzo attacked the other guard and I quickly knocked the one I stood with unconscious.

A few seconds later, Enzo was by my side and examining the unconscious man.

However, rather than leaving him be on the ground, he suddenly ripped the man's head off and grabbed his weapon to arm himself.

"Why did you do that? He was already unconscious!" I hissed quietly to avoid attracting the other guards.

"He's the enemy, Clarissa. You think he'll just knock us unconscious when he wakes up? They'll kill you on the spot," Enzo answered coldly. "Take a weapon. You'll need it when you go inside."

He grabbed the entrance card and unlocked the door, gazing at me expectantly.

"What? I'm not going in there alone!" I protested.

"You need to kill all of them, Clary. I can't enter the building. Go in and use your abilities."

I thought that we were solely going to wreck the place, destroy the files and maybe set the building on fire – not kill everyone.

"You _saw_ what they did to me – to your uncle – and countless of other innocent vampires. Do you want them to continue?" he questioned angrily.

"Of course not, but–"

"There's no time to discuss this." He handed me a gun and pushed me inside, shutting the door behind me so it would lock up.

Perhaps I should suck it up and follow his orders, because he was right about how cruel they were and I couldn't allow them to hurt more vampires or innocent humans.

I swiftly passed by the guards unnoticed and knocked the ones that were in my way unconscious rather than killing them.

As I made my way through the maze-like building, I noticed several confined vampires lying almost half-dead in their cells.

They looked like they hadn't been fed for days, so I decided to release them by shooting the keypad lock with my gun.

Suddenly, a wooden bullet grazed my neck as a guard caught me releasing the inmates, however, I healed up within a few seconds.

Starving and enraged by being held captive, the prisoners attacked and drained the guards, so I kept moving and went to the laboratory.

The alarm went off as I reached the laboratory and more guards stormed to kill the vampires that had escaped.

All of the exits were locked and blocked by the guards, which meant we couldn't leave the building without using brute force.

When the guards started shooting at me and the other vampires, I decided to transform into my wolf form and abetted the vampires.

Their bullets were useless on me and while they did injure me, then I healed up faster than they expected.

Moving towards the broken windows, I watched as the vampires fled and attempted eloping as well, but Enzo pushed me back inside with a sinister smile on his lips.

"Sorry, kid. I'm sure you'll learn to love living here like I did after your uncle betrayed me," he said, firing a shot at my leg to slow me down. "Ciao!"

Eventually, the guards caught up with me before I could elope and fired several tranquilizers at me.

Even to a hybrid, the dosage was powerful and it didn't take long before I lost all consciousness.

Falling asleep on the cold floor, I felt my body transforming back to my human form and faintly sensed several hands grabbing my nude body.

I should never have trusted Enzo to have my back no matter how genuine his pain was.

And knowing how my own family was capable of marrying me off without my knowledge, I was starting to wonder if I could trust anyone at all.

I lost track of time, but figured I'd been out cold for hours, because when I woke up in a cell, I found myself restrained to a metal chair from head to toe and wore a hospital gown of sorts.

I felt weak, hungry and drained all of a sudden as if I'd been here for days without food or blood.

And then I noticed the filled blood bags on a table near me where a man dressed in a white coat stood, realizing that they'd taken _my_ blood while I was out.

"Remarkable… I've never seen blood like yours before," he said as he turned to me, adjusting his black framed glasses. "I've heard stories about your kind, but never seen a specimen with my own eyes. Do tell me, 00436… what are you?"

I remained silent and attempted breaking free, but the metal was made of something that could restrain a century old vampire.

"You don't have to tell me, of course. I can always figure it out on my own and I do admit – I'm more than a little excited about getting to examine you."

* * *

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


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